Journal of Nippon Medical School: Vol.70 No.2 page.186

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ArticleTitle A Case of Multicentric Bronchio-alveolar Cell Carcinomas with Mild Improvement During Clinical Course

AuthorList Mayumi Yoshikawa¹ and Masashi Sato²

Affiliation ¹Department of Intermal Medicine, Tama-nagayama Hospital, Nippon Medical School
²Department of Ragiology, Nippon Medical School Second Hospital

Language JA

Volume 70

Issue 2

Year 2003

Page 186-190

Received October 4, 2002

Accepted Nobember 6, 2002

Keywords lung cancer, bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma, chest CT imaging

Abstract It is very important for clinicians to recognize that some lung cancers, especially among the bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinomas (BAC), rarely show mild improvement in opacity during the clinical course. We would like to present a 63-year-old woman who demonstrated very unusual exacerbation and improvement in lung opacity during 7 years of follows up. The abnormal chest shadows pointed out in an initial screening checkup and in a following chest CT presented 4 nodules in both lung fields; 2 of them appeared to have cavities. One of these nodules showed a definitely reduced size in a chest CT taken after one year of follow up study. We therefore determined it was probably not malignant of this time. But, after seven years the patient revisited our institute complaining of bronchorrhea. The chest CT taken immediately revealed increased size of each nodule and progression to pulmonary consolidation of the right lower lobe. A transebroncheal biopsy led to a diagnosis of bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma pathologically. The incidence of BAC has recently shown a remarkable increase and radiological images of these tumors are various. It is important, therefore, to consider the possibility of BAC for differential diagnose of cases presenting abnormal pulmonary shadows.

Correspondence to Mayumi Yoshikawa, Department of Internal Medicine, Tama-nagayama Hospital. Nippon Medical School, 1-7-1 Nagayama, Tama-shi, Tokyo 206-8512, Japan

ArticleTitle	A Case of Multicentric Bronchio-alveolar Cell Carcinomas with Mild Improvement During Clinical Course
AuthorList	Mayumi Yoshikawa¹ and Masashi Sato²
Affiliation	¹Department of Intermal Medicine, Tama-nagayama Hospital, Nippon Medical School ²Department of Ragiology, Nippon Medical School Second Hospital
Language	JA
Volume	70
Issue	2
Year	2003
Page	186-190
Received	October 4, 2002
Accepted	Nobember 6, 2002
Keywords	lung cancer, bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma, chest CT imaging
Abstract	It is very important for clinicians to recognize that some lung cancers, especially among the bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinomas (BAC), rarely show mild improvement in opacity during the clinical course. We would like to present a 63-year-old woman who demonstrated very unusual exacerbation and improvement in lung opacity during 7 years of follows up. The abnormal chest shadows pointed out in an initial screening checkup and in a following chest CT presented 4 nodules in both lung fields; 2 of them appeared to have cavities. One of these nodules showed a definitely reduced size in a chest CT taken after one year of follow up study. We therefore determined it was probably not malignant of this time. But, after seven years the patient revisited our institute complaining of bronchorrhea. The chest CT taken immediately revealed increased size of each nodule and progression to pulmonary consolidation of the right lower lobe. A transebroncheal biopsy led to a diagnosis of bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma pathologically. The incidence of BAC has recently shown a remarkable increase and radiological images of these tumors are various. It is important, therefore, to consider the possibility of BAC for differential diagnose of cases presenting abnormal pulmonary shadows.
Correspondence to	Mayumi Yoshikawa, Department of Internal Medicine, Tama-nagayama Hospital. Nippon Medical School, 1-7-1 Nagayama, Tama-shi, Tokyo 206-8512, Japan