A clinical and "blind" histologic review of 82 cases of bronchial carcinoid tumour is presented. The malignant potential of the tumours was only partly predictable from their histologic appearance. Histologically 65 of the tumours were typical benign carcinoids. Regional metastases were found at operation in two of these patients. Fatal carcinoid syndrome with regional and distant metastases appeared in two patients about 1 and 3 years postoperatively. One of the patients with regional metastases at operation is clinically free from carcinoid 12 years later. Malignancy was histologically suspected in 17 cases, in ten of which regional metastases were found at operation. Three of these ten patients are alive 6 to 16 years postoperatively, but two without regional metastases at operation died of local recurrence and distant metastases after 3 to 4 years. Carcinoid syndrome was not seen in these 17 patients. There was one peroperative death. Altogether ten patients (12%) died of recurrence. Among the cases judged at the "blind" histologic review to be suspectedly malignant, the corresponding figure was 50%. For typical carcinoids, conservative resection, including lymph-node metastases, is the treatment of choice. Wedge or sleeve resection with or without pulmonary resection were employed in ten cases. Suspectedly malignant carcinoid tumours may require more extensive surgery.

Immunoreactive serum erythropoietin concentrations were measured in 35 patients with anaemia associated with active rheumatoid arthritis.Based on an evaluation of stainable iron in the bone marrow (marrow iron grade 0-4) and serum ferritin concentrations (concentrations 660 tg/l compatible with iron deficiency) the anaemia was found to be complicated by iron deficiency in 19/35 (54%) of the patients.The mean serum erythropoietin level (57.6 (SD) 27.3) U/I) was sufficiently raised for the degree of anaemia irrespective of the size of the marrow iron stores. Thus the data do not support the contention that suppressed secretion of erythropoietin is involved in the pathogenesis of anaemia of chronic disorders.There was a significant inverse correlation between the haemoglobin concentration and log serum erythropoietin in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis.In the patients with adequate iron stores, but not in the iron depleted patients, there was a tendency for serum erythropoietin concentrations to correlate positively both with C reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.Red cell distribution width (mean (SD) 16-3 (1-8)%) was above normal (11-5-14-5%) both in the iron replete and the iron depleted patients, and the mean red cell distribution width values did not differ significantly among the two subpopulations.The plasma lactoferrin concentration (mean (SD) 137-6 (109.9) [tg/l) was normal and did not differ significantly between the iron deficient patients and those with adequate iron.