Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2004 Mar;37(3):252-260.

Clinical Implication of Malignant Pleural Lavage Cytology (PLC) in Primary Lung Cancer

• Kim YH
• Park SI
• Kim DK
• Gong G

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of study is to evaluate the clinical implication of malignant Pleural Lavage Cytology (PLC) in primary lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 315 patients were examined with pleural lavage cytology in Asan Medical Center between November 1998 and August 2002. The patients were chosen from primary lung cancer patients with no pleural effusion according to preoperative radiologic examination; no tumor invasion into the chest wall and no diffuse pleural adhesion in intraoperative findings. The pleural cavity and lung were washed with 100 ml of warm normal saline. RESULT: The 315 patients consisted of 237 men and 78 women. The incidence of malignant PLC was found in 28 patients (8.9%). For patients in early stages (I & II), survival rate was 93.9% in positive malignant PLC and 85.7% in negative malignant PLC. 31 patients (13.6%) had local or distant recurrences; 2-year recurrence-free rate was 90.1% in negative PLC and 87.5% in positive PLC. The survival and recurrence-free rate in each stage were not statistically associated with the result of PLC. Median follow-up was 16.4 months from the surgery.
CONCLUSION
To access implication of malignant PLC in primary lung cancer, a long-term follow-up and further study are required.

Keyword

Irrigation; Carcinoma, non-small cell, lung; Pleural effusion; Cytology

MeSH Terms

Chungcheongnam-do
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Incidence
Lung Neoplasms*
Lung*
Male
Pleural Cavity
Pleural Effusion
Recurrence
Survival Rate
Therapeutic Irrigation*
Thoracic Wall