Lung adenocarcinoma discovered during the follow-up of lung-dominant connective tissue disease: a case report and literature review

BMC Pulm Med. 2024 Apr 12;24(1):175. doi: 10.1186/s12890-024-02975-1.

Abstract

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) can lead to lung cancer, which brings great challenges to differential diagnosis and comprehensive treatment. However, the clinical features of lung-dominant connective tissue disease (LD-CTD) related ILD combined with lung cancer has not been validated. We report the case of an 80-year-old woman with LD-CTD treated regularly with nintedanib who presented progressive dyspnoea and hypoxemia after recurrent viral infections. Her chest computed tomography (CT) showed aggravated interstitial fibrosis in both lower lungs with moderate right pleural effusion. Clinicians should be alert to lung cancer in patients who are experiencing poor responsiveness to treatment or acute progression of ILD. The available literatures about the differential diagnosis of clinical manifestations, imaging, treatment and prognosis of LD-CTD are reviewed and discussed in this study.

Keywords: Case report; Interstitial lung disease; Literature review; Lung cancer; Lung-dominant.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung*
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Connective Tissue Diseases* / complications
  • Connective Tissue Diseases* / diagnosis
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung Diseases, Interstitial* / diagnosis
  • Lung Diseases, Interstitial* / drug therapy
  • Lung Diseases, Interstitial* / etiology
  • Lung Neoplasms* / complications
  • Lung Neoplasms* / diagnosis
  • Lung Neoplasms* / drug therapy