Aspects of lung cancer in Jamaica

The incidence of lung cancer in the approximately one- half million population living in the parish of Kingston and St. Andrew of Jamaica- a tropical developing country- has been investigated for the years 1958-1970 inclusive. When compared- on an age standardized basis- with figures published fr om other areas, Jamaica's figures appear to be substantially above those from Africa, but much lower than those from Britain and the United States (table 12). The incidence appears to be rising both in males and females (fig.1, table 12). Clinical and pathologic data on 105 cases of lung cancer were obtained through the postmortem and surgical pathology services of the University Hospital of the West Indies, a 500-bed general hospital. The three main histologic types were equally represented at postmortem, but the squamous carcinoma type was more frequently seen in the surgical pathology material. The patients had an inadequate follow-up and were small in number, the data, therefore, did not allow an evaluation of the use of the W.H.O. histologic classification as to its prognostic significance. The duration of symptoms from onset to death or operation was gene rally less than 6 months (AU)

Normal lung weights in Jamaicans

In a retrospective postmortem study of 1,019 adult Jamaicans of African extraction, 350 (17.2 percent) of the 2,038 lungs were classified as normal. The weights of these lungs were compared with weights of lungs in abnormal categories and considerable overlap was found. It was concluded, however, that lungs that were normal to inspection and palpation but that weighed less than the mean could be included in studies requiring normal lungs. In 70 men and 81 women, both lungs were normal. Regression of the normal total lung weights were calculated with age, height, weight, and surface area. These factors accounted for only 11 percent of the variation in total lung weights in men and 14 percent in women. Analysis of male and female lung weights showed that for any given height and weight there was no significant difference between the sexes. No adequate data were available to compare races, but it was concluded that lung weight was more closely related to stature than to sex or, probably, to race.(Summary)

Composite rapid sections of whole organs on paper

Modifications (Whimster, 1969 and 1970) of the well-known Gough-Wentworth technique (Gough and Wentworth, 1949) of mounting sections of whole organs on paper have, by shortening the method, made it possible to use it more extensively both for lungs and for solid organs. The method can now be used to present the macroscopic findings in a necropsy on a single sheet

The microanatomy of the alveolar duct system

Observations made on wet and dry slices of inflated human lungs taken at necropsy have been used to give a more complete account of the alveolar duct system, the basic respiratory structure. This includes consideration of the central spiral alveolar duct fibre, which is thought to consist of elastic and collagen, the spiral arrangement of alveoli and the special nature of the terminal alveolus, the interdigitation of alveoli from adjacent alveolar ducts and the arrangement of pulmonary arterioles. This suggests that the alveolar duct system is specifically designed so that changes in volume are not accompanied by changes in alveolar surface area.(AU)

Ossified bronchial adenoma

A case of bronchial adenoma is reported which presented radiologically as an extensively calcified hilar mass on a routine chest radiograph of a patient undergoing surgery for varicose veins. This is of interest because, although bronchial adenomas may present in this way (Zellos, 1962; Baldwin and Grimes, 1967), calcification is not regarded as one of their radiological features. (AU)

Rapid giant paper sections of lungs

A detailed account is given of a method of preparing giant paper sections of lung for the day following necropsy or, better and more easily, for the subsequent day. This method represents minor modifications to the highly succesful Gough-Wentworth technique by challenging the need for lengthy fixation and embedding procedures, but producing results which are thought to be comparable (AU)

Studies on the microanatomy of the human lung - abstract

New concepts of the microanatomy of the human lung are presented. These are based on recent radiographic, electron-micrographic, and morphological data, particularly that derived from the appearances of fixed inflated dried lungs. It is concluded that the spiral collagen-elastic fibres of the alveolar ducts allow changes in volume without changes in surface area but that the very varied appearances do not allow morphometric calculations yet to be drived from geometric models(AU)