Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is one of the four histological subtypes of adenocarcinoma and its incidence is increasing. It grows in a lepidic fashion along the alveolar septa without invading alveolar walls. The strict histological definition requires complete surgical resection to exclude any evidence of invasion. This definition is thus only applicable in practice to isolated operable pulmonary nodules. For other types high-resolution lung CT-scan is necessary to evaluate pulmonary involvement because of the high frequency of multifocal disease at initial presentation and because of the presence of ground glass opacities, which can be one of the first manifestations of CBA on CT Therapeutic management does not differ from non-small cell lung cancer. Solitary nodules are treated by surgical resection with a good prognosis whereas multifocal disease is rarely respectable. Diffuse and/or pneumonic forms are treated with systemic chemotherapy with a generally poor prognosis. However, the recent discovery of the particular sensitivity of this form of adenocarcinoma to EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) tyrosine kinase inhibitors offers new possibilities for management.