[Diagnosis of cancer of the lung in patients with tuberculosis and subjects with post-tuberculosis changes of the lungs].

Recently, the number of cases of primary lung carcinoma associated with tuberculosis and posttuberculous lesions has become more frequent. In this connection the problem of early diagnosis of cancer in such patients is gaining clinical importance and becomes urgent. The presence of tumor in such patients is mainly stated by phthisiologists as a result of time course x-ray observations with a delay, in half of the patients at stages III-IV. The time for verification of the diagnosis of lung cancer appears to be especially long when it is associated with active tuberculosis and the processes are located in the same area. The time required for diagnosis of cancer in association with inactive tuberculosis when the processes are anatomically located in different areas is somewhat shorter. However, it takes on an average 2-fold time to verify the diagnosis in patients with associated abnormalities as compared to those with cancer not aggravated by concomitant tuberculosis or posttuberculous lesions in the respiratory organs. Persons with tuberculosis or posttuberculous lesions in the lung require more intent attention as for oncological diseases and the above factors should be considered as additional indications to risk of lung cancer.