Alveolar Cell Carcinoma at 10x Magnification

Alveolar cell carcinoma frequently occurs as a single nodular mass, in which case the disease has a good prognosis. As many as 60 to 70 percent of people treated for this form of the disease are completely cured of the cancer. Even before treatment many individuals diagnosed with such localized alveolar cell carcinoma do not experience any palpable symptoms or only incur minimal symptoms. Alveolar cell carcinoma is also known to occur, however, in a diffuse form that is associated with a significantly bleaker prospect of recovery, especially if it has metastasized to distant areas. Patients with diffuse pulmonary involvement often experience marked symptoms, such as the production of copious sputum, dyspnea, chest pain, chronic coughing.