Influence of site of origin of lung carcinomas on clinical presentation and central nervous system metastases.

A retrospective survey of 100 patients dying from carcinoma of the lung showed that neurological presentation and central nervous system metastases are more frequently present when the primary carcinoma is situated in the peripheral lung tissue (including lung apex). The high incidence of cases presenting neurologically and the high incidence of single secondary deposits involving the central nervous system from peripheral or apical growths suggest a difference in the mode of spread or other properties of such growths compared with the more common central carcinoma.