Effectiveness of transthoracic puncture in the diagnosis and treatment of neoplasms of chest organs

A complex examination of 1400 patients with pathologies of the lungs and mediastinum was carried out using roentgenologic, endoscopic, bioptic and cytologic methods. Diagnosis was confirmed morphologically in 93.7% of cases. More specific information was obtained by express cytologic examination in 97.9% of cases of malignant growth and in 64.4% with benign tumors. On the basis of the test results, preoperative intratumor chemotherapy technique suggested by the authors may be recommended for clinical use.