Abstract

Introduction: The incidence of N1 and N2 metastases in relation to the presence of peritumoral lymphovascular infiltration and tumor grade in bronchial carcinoma still remain insufficiently researched areas that could provide valuable guidance. Several studies have shown a statistically significant difference in the occurrence of N1 and N2 metastases in relation to the type and size of the bronchial carcinoma. The relationship between the occurrence of N1 and N2 metastases and the degree of immaturity of the tumor in the bronchial carcinoma remains insufficiently documented.

Patients and methods: This study included 331 patients of all ages, both men and women, diagnosed with bronchial carcinoma using various diagnostic procedures. In these patients, surgical treatment was indicated and the anatomical resection was performed.

Result: A total of 331 patients were included in the study and N1 metastases were present in 39.88% of cases, while N2 metastases were present in 4.53% of cases with bronchial carcinoma. Peritumoral lymphovascular invasion was present in 37.55% of cases (86 out of 229 patients) with N0 disease, in 55.89% of cases (128 out of 229 patients) with N1 disease, and in 6.55% of cases (15 out of 229 patients) with confirmed N2 disease.

Conclusion: The presence of the peritumoral lymphovascular invasion is more often accompanied by metastases in corresponding regional lymph nodes. By calculating the total relative risk, there is almost a 30-fold higher risk of developing metastases in N1 and N2 lymph nodes in the presence of peritumoral lymphovascular invasion.

Keywords: Bronchial carcinoma; Lymph node metastases; Lymphovascular invasion