Role of Induced Sputum in Diagnosis of Lung Cancer and Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

The present study was prospectively designed and conducted on 60 patients who were admitted to the Department of Chest Diseases, Assiut University Hospital during the period from April to December 2000 to evaluate the relative diagnostic role of induced sputum in patients with lung cancer and in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. These patients were dassifred into 2 groups: 1-The first group, included 30 patients with lung cancer (25 males

and 5 females). Those patients were submitted to history taking, clinical examination, postero- anterior and lateral chest radiograms, spontaneous expectoration of sputum and sputum induction. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy was done in all cases where bronchial washing and bronchial biopsy were taken for cytological and histopathological examination, respectively. Post bronchoscopic sputum (spontaneous and induced) was also taken and examined cytologically for the presence of malignant cells. It was evident from the study that the diagnostic yield of induced sputum samples (30%) was higher than that of spontaneous sputum samples (16.7%), however the difference did not reach a statistical significance. Moreover the diagnostic yield of sputum cytology (spontaneous and induced) was higher in patients presented with central tumors in chest radiograph than in patients presented with peripheral tumors and in squamous cell carcinoma than other types. However, the difference did not reach a statistical significance.