A Case of Bronchorrhea due to Pulmonary Metastasis of Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

A 72-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of bronchorrhea and diffuse infiltrative shadows on chest x-ray. The TBLB specimens suggested adenocarcinoma with a bronchiolo-alveolar pattern. This case was clinically diagnosed as bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma. Corticosteroids were not effective and she died of respiratory failure about 3 months after the admission. Autopsy findings showed a 5×4×2cm mass at the tail of the pancreas. The specimens obtained from the lung tissue showed tumor cells growing as a single layer along alveolar walls. The features of the lesion in the lung were pathologically similar to those of the lesion in the tail of the pancreas. Further examination revealed metastatic pulmonary adenocarcinoma of pancreatic origin. Comparative analyses of biochemical components in sputum in this case and previous reports showed that levels of fucose, albumin, and DNA were low in this case. It was suggested that this excessive production of sputum was due to abnormal secretion of tumor cells rather than exudation of plasma constituents and inflammatory change in the airways.