Background: Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) has been reported to have unique clinicopathological features.
Patients and methods: This retrospective study was performed using data base including 871 patients treated for primary lung cancer between 1981 and 1995.
Results: The patients with BAC included a larger proportion of female (P = 0.029) and smoked less (P = 0.002) than those with non-BAC. There was no difference in survival between surgically resected patients with BAC and those with non-BAC. Clinical Stage IV patients with BAC had a better response to chemotherapy than did those with non-BAC. Survival in the former group was better than that in the latter on univariate analysis, but the significance of this difference was not confirmed multivariate analysis.
Conclusion: The patients with BAC included a larger proportion of females and smoked less than those with non-BAC. Treatment results for BAC was comparable to those for non-BAC.