[Autopsy and clinical findings of metastases in bronchial carcinoma. A study of 649 intensively irradiated cases].

Between the years of 1958 to 1980, 1636 patients suffering from histologically demonstrated bronchial carcinomas were submitted to an intensive radiotherapy at the Robert-Rössle Hospital in Berlin-Buch. The tumors received a minimum dose of 5000 Gy. The autopsy reports of 649 cases could be evaluated. The tumor destruction rate determined by autopsy and the distribution of metastases in dependence on the histologic tumor type are described and compared to the frequency of metastases determined by clinical or X-ray examination. With respect to clinical practice, the conclusion is drawn that a prophylactic radiotherapy to the brain, the upper abdominal lymph nodes and the adrenal glands possibly could improve the therapeutic results because of the high rate of metastases of microcellular and non-differentiated bronchial carcinomas found in these regions.