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   Synchronous Tumors
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Synchronous Tumors
 Synchronous lung cancers, tumors that develop at the same time, occur in about 0.5% of lung cancer patients. The key to making the diagnosis of synchronous primary lung cancers is to distinguish it from a metastatic parenchymal lesion. This requires demonstration of synchronous masses with different histology. If the histology is similar, it must be shown that the tumors arise from separate endobronchial foci. In the past many of these diagnoses were made intraoperatively or at autopsy. With the current use of CT and bronchoscopy more synchronous tumors are being detected. 51% of synchronous tumors have similar histology, and squamous cell carcinoma accounts for most. Of the remaining 49% tumors with different histologic findings, the vast majority are squamous cell carcinoma and another histology. Most synchronous tumors present in early stage. 54% of the patients are Stage I, 19% are Stage II, and 24% are IIIA. Because most patients present in Stage I or II, aggressive surgical intervention is the treatment of choice. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy have not been extensively evaluated. |
