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Giant cell carcinoma of the lung
Author(s) -
Ginsberg Steven S.,
Buzaid Antonio C.,
Stern Harold,
Carter Darvyl
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19920801)70:3<606::aid-cncr2820700311>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - medicine , carcinoma , large cell , giant cell , lung cancer , subclinical infection , lung , pathology , small cell carcinoma , stage (stratigraphy) , disease , histology , incidence (geometry) , cancer , adenocarcinoma , biology , paleontology , physics , optics
Background. Giant cell carcinoma of the lung has been described as an aggressive tumor characterized by extensive local and distant disease and extremely short survival. In 1981, the World Health Organization defined giant cell carcinoma as a variant of large cell carcinoma. Before then giant cell lung cancer was a descriptive term, but it was not considered a separate entity. Methods. The authors retrospectively studied 16 cases of giant cell carcinoma of the lung. Results. These cases had a prognosis that was not appreciably different from that for lung cancer of other non‐small cell histologic types. Of those patients with pathologic Stage I or II at resection, five of nine are alive and disease‐free from 20 to 116 months and one has died without evidence of disease at 15 months. Conclusions. Based on this series and a review of the literature, there appears to be an increased incidence of both clinical and subclinical gastrointestinal tract involvement in patients with this histology, compared with patients with other non‐small cell histologic types. The authors conclude that patients with giant cell carcinoma of the lung have a prognosis similar to that of patients with other non‐small cell histologic types, and that clinicians should be aware of the increased incidence of gastrointestinal tract involvement in this disease. Cancer 1992; 70:606–610.