Bronchioloalveolar lung cancer originates from the epithelium of bronchioles

Bronchioloalveolar lung cancer arises from the epithelium of bronchioles and alveolocytes and spreads to the lung parenchyma with the gradual filling of the tumor masses of the alveoli. The x-ray picture of bronchioalveolar cancer is diverse. The most common forms are nodular, infiltrative and disseminated. The nodal shape is displayed in the form of a round shadow, no different from bronchogenic peripheral carcinoma. The infiltrative form is similar to pneumonia and is manifested by the compaction of lung tissue with fuzzy contours, which can capture a segment, lobe or even the entire lung. With CT, against the background of compaction, gaps of the bronchi and individual swollen lobules are visible. Part of the lobules is filled with mucus and has a low density, which creates a picture of heterogeneous infiltration. After pole amplification, a characteristic sign of bronchioloalveolar cancer is revealed: the image of blood vessels inside the infiltration zone (symptom of “angiogram”). But the density of the affected area of ​​the lung tissue does not change. The disseminated form is characterized by the presence of multiple polymorphic focal shadows with varying degrees of dissemination, up to diffuse bilateral. A combination of different forms of bronchioloalveolar cancer is possible.

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