Salt-wasting bronchorrhea and its mechanisms.

A 56-year old woman, with the diffuse form of bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma, developed massive bronchorrhea, resulting in severe fluid and electrolyte depletion when her oral intake was compromised. Chemical analysis of the bronchial secretions and the ultrastructural features of the tumor cells support the concept of an active secretory process. The lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzyme pattern of the fluid is similar to that found in fetal cells. The neoplastic cells may acquire a more primitive LDH pattern.