[The invasion of a tumor into the bronchial wall in central cancer of the lung].
The paper analyzes histological findings of a number of bronchial sections made proximal the visible margins of a tumor in 54 patients operated on for central cancer of the lung. In coincidence of micro- and macroscopic limits of the extension of tumor cells was revealed in 29 (53.7%) patients. Statistical analysis revealed that the extension of tumor invasion obeys the exponential law of distribution. Probability of detecting tumor cells at various distances from the visible margin of the tumor was found. The findings suggest that one may predict that tumor cells can remain in the bronchial stump depending on the level of its elimination.