OBJECTIVE To study the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors for bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.METHODS Clinical data from 107 inpatient cases at The Cancer Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, from 1990-2000, were retrospectively reviewed.RESULTS The overall 1, 3 and 5-year survival rates were 88.7, 64.8 and 48.6% respectively. The main prognostic factors were tumor diameter (P=0.022), bronchial stump (P=0.016), TNM stage (P=0.000), T stage (P=0.002), N stage (P=0.000) and postoperation radiotherapy (P=0.001). Coxregression analysis suggested that the TNM stage (P=0.000) and tumor diameter (P=0.015) are independent factors affecting the prognosis.CONCLUSION The overall survival rate of BAC patients was superior to those with other non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The TNM stage and tumor diameter were independent factors affecting the prognosis for BAC.