[Analysis of clinicopathologic features and morphogenesis of carcinoid tumorlets in the lung with bronchiectasis].

Objective: To describe the clinicopathologic features and immunophenotypes of carcinoid tumorlets in the lung with bronchiectasis, and to study the morphogenesis of these tiny tumors.

Methods: The histopathologic characteristics of 3 bronchiectasis cases with carcinoid tumorlets, 11 bronchiectasis and 2 normal lungs were studied. Specific markers of the tiny tumors and the number of neuroendocrine cells (NECs) in the airway mucosa were immunohistochemically detected by EnVision method.