Metachronous Single Pulmonary Metastasis of Prostate Cancer: Report of a Rare Case and Literature Review

Cancer Diagn Progn. 2023 Mar 3;3(2):157-162. doi: 10.21873/cdp.10195. eCollection 2023 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer recurrence after definitive local therapy usually involves the bone and regional lymph nodes.

Case report: We present the case of a 72-year-old male patient with an isolated lung nodule, seven years after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, pT2bN0 and Gleason score 7(4+3), and prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) levels within normal limits. The nodule was considered as a primary lung cancer and the patient was subjected to lobectomy. The immunohistochemical staining showed that the tumor was PSA(+) and NKX3.1 (+), revealing that it was metastasis from prostatic cancer and that wedge resectomy was the proper procedure. Three years later the patient is disease-free, suggesting the importance of aggressive treatment of oligometastatic disease.

Conclusion: Metastasis to the lung is present in more than 40% of men with metastatic prostate cancer; however, lung metastases without any bone or lymph node involvement are extremely rare and only a handful of cases are reported in the literature. Surgical excision of the metastatic lung site is the most common therapeutic approach associated with a good prognosis.

Keywords: Prostate cancer; pulmonary malignancy; rare metastasis.

Publication types

  • Review