The Correlation of Carcinoma and Congenital Cystic Emphysema of the Lungs

Report of Ten Cases

¹ The Veterans Administration Hospital, Downey, Illinois.

Ten cases of carcinoma of the lung developing in middle-aged war veterans with congenital cystic emphysema of the lung were reported. Seven were found in a follow-up study of 40 cases of congenital cystic emphysema over a period of 13 years.

In 60 cases of diffuse pulmonary emphysema complicating bronchial asthma and lung infections followed for the same length of time, no bronchial carcinoma developed.

A review of the literature disclosed 45 cases (9 per cent) of lung cancer among 500 persons of all age groups with congenital cystic emphysema. The incidence is 1.5 per cent in autopsies of adults in the general population.

In cystic emphysema, carcinoma occurs at an earlier age and with a significantly greater frequency than in the general population.