A system for staging the clinical status of patients with soft tissue sarcomas is presented, based on the clinical characteristics of the primary tumor (size, extension), the involvement of lymph nodes, the presence of metastases, and the grade of the tumor. This represents the TNM system with grade of tumor (G) added. The system evolved was based on examination of 1215 cases of 13 types of soft tissues sarcomas, primarily in the extremities (fibrosarcoma, liposarcoma, etc.). Nine stages are described, and they are correlated with survival in the cases reviewed. The staging system now can be used for case evaluation for therapy determination and for intercomparison of series of patients as to incidence of different kinds of tumors, effects of treatment, and survival.

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A chronic cavitary form of pulmonary aspergillosis may occur with mild immunosuppression or underlying lung disease. In this "semi-invasive" type, the fungus is intermediate between a simple saprophyte and an invasive pathogen. Aspergillus may produce extensive lung destruction despite the lack of vascular invasion. The absence of a previous cavity distinguishes such cases from secondary noninvasive mycetomas. Radiographic features include a chronic infiltrate, progressive cavitation, and subsequent mycetoma formation. Biopsy may be helpful; however, marked squamous metaplasia can produce false-positive Class V cytological findings even though malignancy is excluded. This variety of aspergillosis supports the concept that the traditional allergic, saprophytic, and invasive forms may represent a spectrum of disease dependent on host immune status and lung architecture.

The air crescent sign is regarded as an important diagnostic finding in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). This study examined the incidence, clinical importance, and natural history of air crescents in 25 patients with acute leukemia and IPA. Twelve (50%) of the patients had cavities (ten with an air crescent) that appeared an average of 15 days after the initial infiltrate. The diagnostic utility of the air crescent sign was relatively minor; cavities developed after the diagnosis was established in 50% of cases and after therapy was started in 75% of cases. In each case, the pneumonia improved at the time of cavitation. In six patients (50%), the cavities resolved over 2-8 months. Three patients (25%), however, experienced massive hemoptysis. Air crescent formation, previously shown to be dependent on granulocyte recovery, was associated with improved survival (67%) compared with the group without cavitation (8%). In the latter group, the pneumonia in ten (77%) of 13 patients progressed to diffuse disease. In patients with leukemia, the diagnostic value of the air crescent sign is limited by cavities that develop relatively late, as the infection improves after white blood cell recovery; cavities that do not occur in patients who remain neutropenic; and associated hemorrhage, at times life-threatening, that obscures the air crescent. The diagnosis of IPA should not await observation of air crescents in these patients.

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Diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage is an uncommon condition that is difficult to differentiate radiographically from diffuse pneumonia or pulmonary edema. The diagnosis should be suspected when a patient has even mild hemoptysis or has one of the diseases known to be associated with diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage. This paper reviews the clinical and radiographic features of diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage and presents a classification scheme depicted as a Venn diagram formed by four overlapping circles representing pulmonary hemorrhage, renal disease, immune complex disease, and antiglomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease. This scheme results in six categories of pulmonary hemorrhage: associated with glomerulonephritis and anti-GBM antibody; associated with renal disease without demonstrable immunologic abnormalities; associated with glomerulonephritis and immune complex disease; associated with immune complex disease without renal disease; associated with anti-GBM antibodies without renal disease; without associated immunologic or renal abnormality. Examples of these disorders are illustrated. Improved clinical-radiographic correlation may lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage and its causes.

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