Adenocarcinoma Located Between the Left Upper and Lower Lobes

Abstract

Background. Standard surgery for non-small cell lung carcinoma is pulmonary lobectomy with hilar and mediastinal lymphadenectomy; however, there are no standard surgical procedures for interlobar lung cancer. Case. A 73-year-old woman with palpitations and dyspnea was referred to our hospital for the evaluation of an abnormal lesion detected on computed tomography. Bronchoscopy revealed the lesion to be atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, and it was suspected of being lung cancer. The lesion was located between the left upper and lower lobes. Segmentectomy of S¹⁺² and S⁶ was performed thoracoscopically due to obstructive ventilatory impairment (FEV_1.0=1.47 l). A microscopic examination showed the lesion to be an adenocarcinoma with invasion beyond the incomplete fissure. She has had no recurrence for 2 years post-operatively. Conclusion. In rare cases involving interlobar non-small cell lung cancer, segmentectomy might be the preferred surgical procedure.