Tumor cells in intraoperative pleural lavage. An indicator for the poor prognosis of bronchogenic carcinoma.

Fifty-nine patients with bronchogenic carcinoma and 21 patients with nonneoplastic lung diseases underwent intraoperative pleural lavage with 300-ml physiologic saline before (Lavage I) and after resection (Lavage II). The presence of tumor cells in the lavage fluid was established cytologically in 29 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma. Twenty-seven had positive findings in Lavage I and 23 of these also in Lavage II. Two patients had positive findings in Lavage II only. All controls were negative. In all 40% of patients with Stage I bronchogenic carcinoma had positive lavage results. The cumulative two-year survival rate of this group is 40%, which differs significantly (P less than 0.01) from the 97% survival rate of the patients with the same tumor stage whose lavage findings were negative. Detection of tumor cells in pleural cavity washings before resection proves that tumor cells have spread into the pleural cavity. Cytologic examination of an intraoperative pleural lavage should be done when assessing the tumor stage.