PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Marel, Miloslav
AU  - Koubkova, Leona
AU  - Kovarikova, Zuzana
AU  - Grandcourtova, Alzbeta
AU  - Petrik, Frantisek
AU  - Hroudova, Hana
AU  - Capkova, Linda
AU  - Kodet, Roman
AU  - Fila, Libor
TI  - Lung cancer, pulmonary emphysema and pleural effusion: An autopsy study
DP  - 2015 Dec 3
TA  - Biomedical papers
PG  - 642--647
VI  - 159
IP  - 4
AID - 10.5507/bp.2015.024
IS  - 12138118
AB  - Objectives: To determine the exact incidence of lung cancer, pulmonary emphysema and pleural effusion we decided to carry out an autopsy study.
Methods: In this autopsy study carried out over two years, we compared the results of autopsy findings with the clinical data in accompanying records of the deceased.
Results: Among the 708 deceased subjects, there were 398 males and 310 females with a median age of 71 years. At autopsy, 55 cases of lung carcinoma (BCA) were found, of which 24 have not been identified during life (44%). Among the deceased with BCA, emphysema was also observed at autopsy in 40% of the cases. Pulmonary emphysema was described macroscopically in 28% of the full set of 708 deceased, whereas the accompanying records of the deceased described this condition in only 12% of the cases. Microscopic changes compatible with emphysema were identified in 54% of the examined lungs. Pleural effusions were described in the accompanying records of 13% of the deceased, while the autopsies showed this condition in 33% of the deceased. BCA was accompanied by effusion in 25% of the cases.
Conclusions: The obtained results show that the studied conditions are present in more cases than are reported by clinicians. The study confirms the commonly accepted association between lung cancer and emphysema.