Outpatient sputum cytology in the diagnosis of lung cancer.

The objective of the present survey was to show whether outpatient sputum examination for malignant cells gives sufficient material suitable for diagnostic purposes. The results of 1031 sputum cytological examinations carried out in 767 patients over a 30-month period are presented. Three hundred and two (29.3%) specimens were unsuitable. Initial examinations revealed 17 with clearly malignant changes in 15 patients, and 23 with suspected malignancy in 14 patients. Examination of new specimens in these 14 patients revealed a further four tumors. Of the 19 patients diagnosed as having lung carcinoma five were operated upon. Three of these five were diagnosed cytologically although they had normal chest X-ray pictures.