A light and electron microscopic study of lung cancers. Clinical implications.

This study consists of 71 consecutive surgically resected specimens of lung cancer which were submitted for both light and electron microscopic studies. Eleven of the 71 cancers found in the resected specimens and originally diagnosed by light microscopy had to be reclassified when studied by electron microscopy. All of the reclassified cancers were either poorly differentiated or undifferentiated tumors. This finding enables one to better select and suspect those cancers which are more likely to be in need of electron microscopic study.