Spontaneous regression of primary lung cancer arising from an emphysematous bulla

Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2011;17(6):577-9. doi: 10.5761/atcs.cr.10.01638. Epub 2011 Jul 27.

Abstract

Bullous emphysema is an important risk factor for lung cancer. Here, we report the case of a 56-year-old man who underwent surgical treatment for primary lung cancer arising from the wall of a bulla. Chest computed tomography (CT) had revealed a nodule arising from the bulla wall. This nodule showed positive uptake of (18)fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) during positron emission tomography (PET)-CT. However, repeat CT performed after 2 months showed a spontaneous decrease in the tumor size. Exploratory resection revealed non-small cell lung cancer, which was confirmed by the findings of intraoperative frozen-section analysis; therefore, right upper lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection were performed. The postoperative, pathological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma arising from the wall of a bulla. From this case, we infer that lung cancer arising from the wall of a bulla may spontaneously regress, and FDG/PET is a useful tool to diagnose lung tumor in patients with pulmonary bullous disease.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Blister / complications*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / etiology*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / surgery
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / etiology*
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / surgery
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Frozen Sections
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / etiology*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / surgery
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multimodal Imaging
  • Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous*
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Pulmonary Emphysema / complications*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Tumor Burden

Substances

  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18