Bronchogenic cyst of the stomach involved with gastric adenocarcinoma

Bronchogenic cyst, a congenital anomaly mostly found in the mediastinum, rarely arises in the stomach. A 43-year-old man had epigastric pain and was diagnosed as having gastric adenocarcinoma. Abdominal ultrasonography showed hepatic cyst, and computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cystic lesion near the stomach. At surgery, the cystic lesion was found to be located at the lesser curvature of the stomach where the cancer invasion was seen. Total gastrectomy with combined resection of the cystic lesion was performed. Pathologically, the cyst wall was lined by pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium, subepithelial mixed seromucinous glands and smooth muscle bundles. The pathological diagnosis was bronchogenic cyst of the stomach involved with gastric adenocarcinoma. Based on a similar association between gastric diffuse submucosal cysts and gastric cancer in the previous reports, it is possible that chronic inflammation from bronchogenic cysts to the gastric mucosa may cause adenocarcinoma in the stomach. At surgery, complete combined resection without rupture of the bronchogenic cyst involved with the gastric adenocarcinoma is needed for treatment of gastric cancer to prevent dissemination of cancer cells considering when cancer cells have invaded beyond the pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium and within the bronchogenic cyst.     

Adenocarcinoma in pulmonary sequestration

A 67-year-old male smoker presented with hemoptysis and recurrent pneumonia. Chest computed tomography showed an emphysematous cyst and air-fluid level cavities in the left lower lobe. A left lower lobectomy was performed. The intraoperative finding was intralobar sequestration. Histopathology revealed adenocarcinoma within the sequestrated lobe. Only 8 cases of lung cancer and sequestration have been reported since 1963.     

Thoracic duct cyst of the neck: a case report.

A thoracic duct cyst was excised from the left side of the neck of a 63-year-old woman. It was 6.5cm in length and 3.5cm in width, and was located behind the common carotid artery and jugular vein. The proximal portion of the thoracic duct with a narrowed lumen was in direct contact with the lateral surface of the cyst and the venous angle. The lower end of the cyst extended into the mediastinum to immediately above the aortic arch; the inferior portion of the thoracic duct descended from the bottom of the cyst into the mediastinum behind the aorta. The cyst was unilocular with a fluid content high in triglyceride (3350mg/dl). Its wall was muscular and permeated with lymphatic vessels.     

Malignant Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Neoplasm of the Mediastinum and the Lung: One Case Report

A perivascular epithelioid cell neoplasm (PEComa) in the chest is rare, let alone in the mediastinum and lung.A 63-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with chest pain for more than 2 months and was found to have an opacity in his mediastinum and lung for 3 weeks. Enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a mass in both the left upper lobe and central anterior mediastinum. To identify the disease, a CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy of the upper left lung lesions was performed. The pathology result was consistent with epithelioid angiomyolipoma/PEComa. After a standard preparation for surgery, the neoplasms in the mediastinum and left lung were resected. The operative findings revealed extensive mediastinal tumor invasion in parts adjacent to the pericardium, including the mediastinal pleura, left pulmonary artery and vein, and phrenic nerve. The left lung tumor had invaded the lung membranes. The final pathologic diagnosis was malignant epithelioid angioleiomyoma in the left upper lung and mediastinum. Later, the mediastinal tumor recurred. The radiography of this case resembles left upper lobe lung cancer with mediastinal lymph node metastasis. Because this tumor lacks fat, the enhanced CT indicated that it was malignant but failed to identify it as a perivascular epithelioid cell neoplasm.This case reminds clinicians that, although most PEComa are benign, some can be malignant. As the radiology indicated, chest PEComas lack fat, which makes their preoperative diagnosis difficult. Therefore, needle biopsy is valuable for a definitive diagnosis.     

Stromal bone formation by lung adenocarcinoma]

We report a case of lung adenocarcinoma with stromal bone formation. A 73-year-old woman was incidentally found to have a coin lesion in the left lower lung field on a chest roentgenogram and computed tomography showed a nodular lesion containing a few coarse high density areas in the left lower lobe. Since transbronchial cytology revealed adenocarcinoma, left lower lobectomy was performed. Histologically, the tumor was a papillary-tubular adenocarcinoma, and fragments of osseous tissue were found within abundant fibrous stroma. Bone formation in primary lung adenocarcinoma is a very rare condition, and only 7 other cases have been reported in the literature.     

A case of primary choriocarcinoma of the mediastinum in a Japanese woman]

A 32-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital complaining of non-productive cough and dyspnea when in a dorsal position. Physical examination revealed left cervical lymph node swelling. Laboratory data showed HCG 17,700mIU/ml, betaHCG 130ng/ml, CYFRA 104ng/ml, AFP<2.0ng/ml, and LDH 802IU/l. A chest radiograph showed a giant mass shadow in the left hilum and many round mass shadows in both lung fields. Chest CT showed a mass shadow in the anterior mediastinum and many round mass shadows in both lung fields. There was no abnormality on abdominal and pelvic CT. A CT-guided transcutaneous lung biopsy specimen obtained from a mass in the left lower lobe revealed necrotized portions and atypical cells which were positive for HCG. We diagnosed primary choriocarcinoma of the mediastinum. The patient received 4 courses of the standard BEP regimen, resulting in partial response. This is the first reported case of primary choriocarcinoma of the mediastinum in a Japanese woman.     

Pulmonary adenocarcinoma with multiloculated cystic change]

A 63-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of an abnormal chest X-ray film finding. He was asymptomatic. The chest HRCT showed a ground-glass attenuation with multiloculated cystic change in the left lower lobe. There were no cystic lesions in the other lung fields except a ground-glass attenuation in the left lower lobe. The pathological examination of trans-bronchial lung biopsy specimen revealed adenocarcinoma. Therefore, primary lung cancer was diagnosed, and he underwent left lower lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node resection. Macroscopic examination of the resected lung specimen revealed multiloculated cystic lesions associated with a poorly demarcated white-gray tumor. The histological examination showed that papillary adenocarcinoma proliferated along the alveolar walls and that the walls of the multiloculated cystic lesions were composed of cancer cells. We speculated that adenocarcinoma cells extended along the alveolar walls and destroyed the alveoli without disrupting the overall lung architecture, resulting in enlarged multiloculated cystic lesions.     

Lung adenocarcinoma with endobronchial growth

We report a rare case of lung adenocarcinoma with endobronchial growth in a 65-year-old woman. Chest computed tomography revealed an ill-defined mass in the lower lobe of the left lung and multiple sized nodular shadows in the both lungs. An endobronchial polypoid tumor in the left B8 bronchus was found by bronchoscopic examination. A biopsy specimen obtained from the tumor diagnosed lung adenocarcinoma. Although very rare, we should therefore keep in mind that patients who have a pulmonary tumor adjacent to the bronchus with an endobronchial polypoid lesion may have lung adenocarcinoma.     

A case of combined squamous cell carcinoma and aspergilloma arising in a cyst wall]

A 76-year-old man in whom interstitial pneumonia and diabetes mellitus had been diagnosed complained of bloody sputum in August, 1998. Chest radiography disclosed irregular shadows in the left lower lung field. Chest computed tomography (CT) scans revealed a cyst and a small nodular lesion in the left S6 segment. Although primary lung cancer was suspected, we did not detect any malignant cells in the transbronchial lung biopsy specimen. CT scans in January 2000 showed a ball-like shadow in the thick-walled cyst in the left S6 segment. Cytologic examination of the sputum and the bronchial lavage fluid from the left B6 revealed squamous cell carcinoma. Left lower lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection were performed. Pathological examination revealed that moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma had extensively invaded the wall of the cyst in the left S6 and S10 segments, and was accompanied with aspergilloma. Abnormal thickening of a cyst wall may in some cases suggest the presence of lung cancer.     

The right operation for the wrong reason in multi-focal non-small cell lung cancer

In a sixty-seven year old female smoker, a right lower lobe mass, intimately related to the mediastinum, was detected on computed tomography (CT) scanning. Bronchoscopy confirmed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a subsequent integrated 18F-FDG Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/CT scan demonstrated a rim of non-FDG avid tissue between the lung tumour and the mediastinum, and no nodal or distant metastases. The patient was pre-operatively staged as cT3N0M0 and proceeded to exploratory thoracotomy.On histological examination of the resected right lower lobe, multiple deposits of bronchioalveolar cell carcinoma (BAC) were found surrounding a central adenocarcinoma, in addition to a small deposit of adenocarcinoma in a right upper lobe wedge resection sample. Neither the BAC deposits nor the upper lobe disease had been detected on integrated FDG-PET/CT scanning.The final pathological staging of this case (pT4N0M1 (stage IV)) is inconsistent with the improved survival rate of patients with multi-focal intrapulmonary NSCLC confined to the lung over other forms of T4 or M1 disease, particularly when the BAC cell type is involved. This case highlights these major limitations of the current TNM classification and discusses the increased risk of false negative results from integrated FDG-PET/CT scanning in the BAC form of NSCLC.     

A case of Swyer-James syndrome with interesting chest radiographs]

A 28-year-old man was admitted for further examination after overinflation of the right lung was observed on a screening chest radiograph. The chest radiograph on admission showed increased radiolucency of the left lung and overinflation of the right lung, associated with a shift of the mediastinum toward the midline on expiration. High-resolution CT on expiration showed air trapping in the left lung and in part of the right lower lobe. Pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy showed a markedly decreased perfusion in these areas. Pulmonary angiography revealed small left pulmonary arteries with diminished peripheral vascular branches. Bronchoscopy showed no abnormality of either bronchus. Swyer-James syndrome was diagnosed on the basis of these findings. Although bronchial damage due to the lower respiratory tract infection during childhood is considered a very important factor in the pathogenesis of this syndrome, many patients have no history of airway infection, as in this case. This is a rare case of Swyer-James syndrome presenting with marked overinflation of the unaffected lung in an asymptomatic adult. Progression of this compensative overinflation probably involved asymptomatic damage caused by the weakness of the affected lung.     

Bilateral pulmonary metastectomy through a unilateral single-port thoracoscopic approach

A 58-year-old woman underwent radical proctectomy 19 months prior to admission. The initial diagnosis was rectal adenocarcinoma of pathological stage T2N0M0. She was discharged five days after the operation. She was followed by abdominal computed tomographic (CT) scan at 3, 9 and 18 months after the operation. Eighteen months after the operation, follow-up abdominal CT scan revealed tiny nodules in the bilateral lower lobes. Subsequent CT scan of the chest showed two tiny nodules in the right lower lobe and a single tiny nodule in left lower lobe. She then underwent single port thoracoscopic surgery through the right side for resection of the nodules. Using a single port wound, we excised the two tiny nodules on the right side and the one tiny nodule in the left lower lobe across the mediastinum. She was discharged four days later. The final pathology report showed those three nodules were metastases from an adenocarcinoma in the colon.     

Mediastinal spread of metastatic lymph nodes in bronchogenic carcinoma. Mediastinal nodal metastases in lung cancer

The location, frequency, and spread of metastases to the mediastinal lymph nodes were examined in 124 patients with histologically proven N2 disease who underwent pulmonary resection and total lymph node resection. There were one-level metastases in 47 percent of cases, two-level metastases in 29 percent, three-level in 12 percent, and 12 percent had four or more levels of metastases. Nodal metastases to the lower mediastinum from upper lobe cancer were frequently observed as were metastases of lower lobe cancer to the upper mediastinum. The frequency of the latter was higher than that of the former. About one third of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma in the right upper lobe produced nodal metastases in the lower mediastinum. In addition, there were often skip metastases to the nonregional parts of the mediastinum without regional nodal involvement in the mediastinum. From the results of the present study, it appears that extensive mediastinal dissection should be recommended in surgery for lung cancer irrespective of the location of the primary tumor.     

An autopsy case of pulmonary asbestosis with synchronous multiprimary lung cancers, early gastric cancer and atypical mycobacteriosis

An autopsy case of pulmonary asbestosis with synchronous multiprimary lung cancers, gastric cancer and atypical mycobacteriosis of a 64-year-old asbestos textile worker was reported. Chest X-ray film on the first admission showed a coin lesion on the left upper lung field, and on the second admission showed a progressively enlarging shadows in the left hilum. Chemotherapy showed almost no effect and the patient died of respiratory failure. Autopsy revealed moderate asbestosis, with triple lung cancers (squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma) in the left upper lobe, gastric cancer (signet-ring cell carcinoma) and atypical mycobacteriosis. So far as we know, no case with such complex lesions has ever been reported.     

Absence of a hemidiaphragm: mechanical implications

Respiratory system mechanics were evaluated in a 22-year-old asymptomatic man with absence of the left hemidiaphragm. We described changes in esophageal pressure (Pes), gastric pressure (Pga), chest wall configuration, and mediastinal motion during tidal breathing, breaths to total lung capacity (TLC), and Mueller maneuvers in the upright and supine position. We predicted that contraction of the single hemidiaphragm would drive the abdominal contents caudal on the side with the intact hemidiaphragm and displace the abdominal contents cephalad on the other side. This would drive the mediastinum toward the side with the intact diaphragm, thereby reducing its effectiveness in expanding the lung on that side. When upright, this effect would be minimized to the extent that the rib cage muscles lower pleural pressure in the thorax without the diaphragm. We found that (vital capacity) VC and TLC were greater upright than supine and that Pga deflections were almost as strongly negative as Pes deflections during upright quiet breathing and breaths to TLC. Thus the rib cage muscles enhanced the inspiratory action of the right hemidiaphragm in the upright position. In the supine position, Pes became negative without change of Pga during breaths to TLC and quiet inspirations. Here, contraction of the hemidiaphragm was the dominant mechanism generating the inspiratory pressure. During maximal Mueller efforts, the mediastinum shifted toward the side with the intact diaphragm in both positions and the maximum inspiratory pressures were low. These pressures were likely to have been limited by both the finite impedance to rotation of the thoracoabdominal contents or mediastinum and a mechanical disadvantage of the remaining hemidiaphragm. We conclude that the effectiveness of the single hemidiaphragm as an inspiratory pump requires passive impedance of the abdominal viscera and mediastinum and is enhanced in the upright position by the action of the rib cage muscles.     

Absence of a hemidiaphragm: Mechanical implications

Respiratory system mechanics were evaluated in a 22-year-old asymptomatic man with absence of the left hemidiaphragm. We described changes in esophageal pressure (Pes), gastric pressure (Pga), chest wall configuration, and mediastinal motion during tidal breathing, breaths to total lung capacity (TLC), and Mueller maneuvers in the upright and supine position. We predicted that contraction of the single hemidiaphragm would drive the abdominal contents caudal on the side with the intact hemidiaphragm and displace the abdominal contents cephalad on the other side. This would drive the mediastinum toward the side with the intact diaphragm, thereby reducing its effectiveness in expanding the lung on that side. When upright, this effect would be minimized to the extent that the rib cage muscles lower pleural pressure in the thorax without the diaphragm. We found that (vital capacity) VC and TLC were greater upright than supine and that Pga deflections were almost as strongly negative as Pes deflections during upright quiet breathing and breaths to TLC. Thus the rib cage muscles enhanced the inspiratory action of the right hemidiaphragm in the upright position. In the supine position, Pes became negative without change of Pga during breaths to TLC and quiet inspirations. Here, contraction of the hemidiaphragm was the dominant mechanism generating the inspiratory pressure. During maximal Mueller efforts, the mediastinum shifted toward the side with the intact diaphragm in both positions and the maximum inspiratory pressures were low. These pressures were likely to have been limited by both the finite impedance to rotation of the thoracoabdominal contents or mediastinum and a mechanical disadvantage of the remaining hemidiaphragm. We conclude that the effectiveness of the single hemidiaphragm as an inspiratory pump requires passive impedance of the abdominal viscera and mediastinum and is enhanced in the upright position by the action of the rib cage muscles.     

A patient with lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) and adenocarcinoma in the same tumor of the lung]

A 60-year-old woman with no symptoms was found to have a mass shadow in the left lower lobe of the lung on chest radiography. Open lung biopsy and left lower lobectomy were performed. Histopathological study of the specimen revealed two distinct neoplasms. One tumor was a low grade B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) of the lung, while the other was an adenocarcinoma. The two neoplasms were admixed to form a composite tumor.     

Mixed adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma arising in a gastric duplication cyst

Malignant transformation of duplication cyst is a rare condition. The authors report the original case of a degenerated gastric duplication cyst in a 67-year-old patient. The histologic examination revealed a gastric duplication cyst infiltrated with both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Local carcinomatosis was found at laparotomy. The patient died six months after complete macroscopic resection of the lesion, with metastatic disease.