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The prognosis of early stage lung cancer was superior to that of late stages. We hypothesize that by using sputum cytology as the first screening method followed by autofluorescence bronchoscopy could detect early stage lung cancer in the central airway.

During 18-month recruitment period, subjects at high risk for lung cancer (ever smoker accumulated more than 20 pack-year and above 40 years) followed up at Chest Clinics were invited to submit sputum for cytological examination. Subjects with sputum atypia were invited to have bronchoscopy, and CT thorax. After a mean follow-up of 39±14 months, the characteristics of lung cancers detected in the group with sputum atypia and the group with normal sputum at baseline were assessed.

181 subjects submitted sputum and primary lung cancer were diagnosed in 13. 46.2% of the lung cancers were in early stages …