Introduction The pulmonary circulation is interposed between the right and left ventricles with the following primary functions: (1) to deliver the entire cardiac output under low pressure from the right…
Introduction The human genome comprises approximately 3.2 billion base pairs. With the exception of identical twins, each human being has a unique DNA sequence. There are at least 10 million…
Introduction Multicellular life requires the use of oxygen for the generation of high-energy compounds (e.g., adenosine triphosphate) to sustain the metabolic activities of complex organisms. Because multicellular organisms depend on…
Epithelial neoplasms are by far the most common primary malignancies in the lung. Worldwide, lung cancer is the leading cause of illness and death in patients with neoplastic disease as…
A wide range of conditions may manifest as tumors or tumor-like lesions in the lung parenchyma. Although space limitations prevent the inclusion of every single clinical entity that may manifest…
The pleura can be seeded by a wide spectrum of primary and metastatic tumoral conditions. Primary neoplasms affecting the pleura include epithelial, mesenchymal, and lymphoid neoplasms; of these categories, epithelial…
Tumors derived from presumed ectopic tissue constitute a family of tumors that are rarely encountered as primary intrapulmonary neoplasms. This is a diverse group in terms of not only histology…
Primary malignant biphasic tumors occurring in the lung parenchyma are rare, accounting for no more than 1% to 2% of all primary malignant tumors of the lung. The two most…
Neuroendocrine carcinomas constitute an important group of primary neoplasms in the lung. Although the gamut of primary lung tumors that may show neuroendocrine differentiation is rather complex, involving tumors not…
This chapter describes a group of lung tumors characterized by uncertain histogenesis and very rare occurrence. Despite current advances in immunohistochemistry and molecular biology, definitive conclusions regarding the cellular origins…
