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Vol.44 No.6 contents | Japanese/English |
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- Case Report -
A Case of Lung Cancer in a 22-year-old Woman Incidentally Detected Because of Spontaneous Pneumothorax
Takehiro Watanabe1, Toshinori Hamada1, Akira Okada1, Tatsuhiko Hirono11The Division of Chest Surgery, Nishi-Niigata Chuo National Hospital, Japan
Background. We report a case of lung cancer in a 22-year-old woman incidentally detected because of spontaneous pneumothorax. Case. A 22-year-old woman underwent bullectomy for spontaneous pneumothorax in October 2000. In December 2000, she was referred to our hospital for treatment of recurrence of spontaneous pneumothorax. Chest drainage was effective for spontaneous pneumothorax. On the chest computed tomography (CT), there was a ground glass opacity in the left upper lobe, and we decided to follow up the patient by CT scans every 6 months. In November 2002, we found enlargement of the ground glass opacity. As thoracoscopic lung biopsy yielded a diagnosis of Noguchi type C adenocarcinoma of the lung, left S1+2+S3 extended segmentectomy and lymphadenectomy was performed. The examination of resected specimens revealed Noguchi type C well differentiated adenocarcinoma. The pathological stage was IA. Conclusion. It is necessary to observe CT carefully in order to find other lesions in patients with benign diseases. Detailed examinations, including open lung biopsy, should be performed when the enlargement of a ground glass opacity is recognized.
key words: Spontaneous pneumothorax, Lung cancer, Adenocarcinoma, Noguchi classification
Received: March 10, 2004
Accepted: August 10, 2004
JJLC 44 (6): 705-708, 2004
