Transthoracic aspiration biopsy. The distribution of the non-neoplastic cells in aspiration biopsies from different types of malignant lung tumours.

In an earlier paper concerning classification of aspirated May-Grünwald-Giemsa stained malignant tumour cells from lung lesions, we found the sensitivity to be 80--95 per cent for adenocarcinomas, undifferentiated carcinomas and small cell carcinomas. For epidermoid carcinomas the sensitivity was only 64 per cent. It was therefore found of interest to see if a registration of the non-neoplastic cells could be an aid in the cytological tumour cell classification. An analysis has been performed of the distribution of the non-neoplastic cells in 71 aspiration biopsies from six different types of malignant lung tumours. A variegated population of many and different types of infalmmatory cells, mast cells and alveolar epithelial cells was a characteristic finding in biopsies from neoplasms with an epidermoid differentiation.