Concurrent anaplastic bronchial cancer in identical twin brothers.

After having observed homozygotic identical twin brothers who simultaneously suffered from anaplastic bronchial cancer which rapidly led to death in both cases, the authors assess the frequency of such cases. Review of the available literature failed to produce identical observations, although 4 cases of twins suffering from bronchial cancer with differing histologies (3 epidermoidal and 1 bronchiolar-alveolar) were noted. Statistics show that in the area where the observed twins were living, anaplastic cancer occurs each year in 0.39 of 53-year-old men. The cases of these twins therefore support the notion of the role of genetic factors in the determination of bronchial cancer.