Pulmonary cytology in the posttherapeutic monitoring of patients with bronchogenic carcinoma.

A study of 113 patients with histologically confirmed bronchogenic carcinoma and survival for at least 18 months was performed. Posttherapeutic cytologic specimens were submitted for only 52.2% (59/113), and for only 8.5% (5/59) of the individuals was specimen procurement related to clinic visits. Yet, when utilized as a diagnostic procedure for the hospitalized patient, a positive cytodiagnosis was made on 55.6% (15/27) of the patients with recurrent carcinoma, in 61.1% (11/18) with persistent disease and in all 5 patients with a metachronous primary bronchogenic carcinoma. Cytologic diagnoses of cancer compared favorably with concurrent histologic interpretations of biopsies and radiologic observations of chest films.