Intralobar pulmonary sequestration in a patient with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a cause of confusion

Pulmonary sequestration, a rare congenital pulmonary disorder, is characterized by nonfunctioning lung tissue that is separated from normal tracheobronchial tree. We present a 60-year-old woman with diffuse large cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. After 6 cycles of chemotherapy, paratracheal and aorticopulmonary lymphadenopathies had disappeared. However, the size of the pulmonary mass in the left lower lobe had persisted. Percutaneous fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the pulmonary mass was not diagnostic, so thoracotomy was applied. The lesion was defined as pulmonary sequestration, and basal segmentectomy was performed. After proper and sufficient chemotherapy, histopathological diagnosis of any persisting masses should be confirmed prior to overtreatment decision.