Prospective study of combined use of bronchial aspirates and biopsy specimens in diagnosis and typing of centrally located lung tumours.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of examining bronchial secretions in pulmonary cytopathology and whether cytology and histopathology can complement each other in routine practice among lung specialists.

Design: A prospective study comparing 1225 cytological and biopsy results, conducted during 1987-93. Tumours were confirmed by histopathology, imaging techniques, or clinical outcome and imaging techniques combined.