Terminal Bronchiolar or "Alveolar Cell" Cancer of the Lung

At Memorial Hospital we have noted in the past several years a definite and rapid increase in the incidence of cancer of the lung. At the same time, a corresponding increase in the number of lesions that we classify as "terminal bronchiolar or alveolar cell cancer of the lung" has been reported by the department of pathology. Malassez,¹in 1876 was the first to describe the multiple, nodular form of alveolar cell carcinoma. At autopsy both of his patient's lungs were found to be studded with pea-sized nodules, but the bronchi themselves were free of tumor. Microscopic study of the lesion revealed the alveoli to be lined with a cylindrical, cuboidal and flat epithelium. The peribronchial lymph nodes contained metastatic tumors. In 1903 Musser²described a diffuse form of this type of lung cancer. This is a rarer type, which may involve a single lobe or an entire