Right upper lobe lung cancer: Resection through left anterior mediastinotomy

Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann. 2016 Jan;24(1):92-4. doi: 10.1177/0218492315593696. Epub 2015 Jun 29.

Abstract

There is sparse information concerning approaches to metachronous lung cancer in patients who had a previous pneumonectomy for lung carcinoma. We describe the case of a 55-year-old woman who underwent a left pneumonectomy for lung carcinoma. Four years later, a radiological examination revealed a hypermetabolic nodule in the right upper lobe, which was located in the left hemithorax because of right lung hyperinflation and a mediastinal shift to the left. Wedge resection was carried out through a left anterior mediastinotomy. We believe that an anterior mediastinotomy represents a valuable option for the management of recurrent lung cancer after previous surgery.

Keywords: Adenocarcinoma; Lung Neoplasms; Neoplasms; Pneumonectomy; Reoperation; second primary.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / pathology
  • Adenocarcinoma / surgery*
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Mediastinum / surgery*
  • Middle Aged
  • Multimodal Imaging
  • Neoplasms, Second Primary / pathology
  • Neoplasms, Second Primary / surgery*
  • Pneumonectomy*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Reoperation
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Treatment Outcome