Comparative analysis of morphological changes in the mucosa of the small and large bronchi in non-small cell lung cancer

Background. Despite advances in surgical and therapy techniques, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related death. Therefore, it is increasingly important to search for markers that predict the risk of tumor progression. The study of the morphology of the epithelium of the bronchi of different calibers has great potential for solving this problem. The aim of the study was to comparatively evaluate the characteristics and frequency of occurrence of various combinations of morphological changes in the epithelium of the bronchi of large and small calibers in patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma. Material and methods. lung samples were collected from 151 NSCLC patients (stage T1–4N0–3M0), who underwent surgery at the cancer Research institute, TNRMC. Various morphological changes in the bronchial epithelium were analyzed. Results. The study of the frequency of occurrence of various morphological changes in small-caliber bronchi showed that basal cell hyperplasia occurred in 90.8 % of cases. Diffuse isolated basal cell hyperplasia was observed in 33.8 % of cases. Focal basal cell hyperplasia was diagnosed in 38.4 % of cases. A combination of basal cell hyperplasia with squamous metaplasia was observed in 18.5 % of cases. The study of the frequency of occurrence in large-caliber bronchi demonstrated that basal cell hyperplasia was the most common morphological variant (93.4 %, including diffuse isolated basal cell hyperplasia in 33.8 % and focal basal cell hyperplasia in 38.4 %). The combination of basal cell hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia was found in 19.8 %. The combination of basal cell hyperplasia with squamous metaplasia and dysplasia was found in 1.3 % compared to the epithelium of small-caliber bronchi. Conclusion. The obtained results on the frequency of occurrence of morphological changes in large-caliber bronchi are of theoretical interest for further research to identify groups at high risk of progression of non-small cell lung cancer.

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