Primary Pulmonary Carcinoma Contiguous to the Wall of an Emphysematous Bulla: A Case Report and a Review of the Japanese Literature

Abstract

A 70-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of chest pain on November 1996. The patient underwent bilateral bullectomies on September 1995. Physical examination revealed no abnormal signs. Chest roentgenogram and computed tomogram of the chest showed a mass shadow in segment 10 of the left lung. Transbronchial lung biopsy yielded a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the lung. A left lower lobectomy was carried out. In pathologic findings, the tumor was contiguous to emphysematous bulla. Squamous metaplasia and well differentiated adenocarcinoma coexisted on the bullous wall. The tumor cells were mainly composed of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. We present herein this case because primary pulmonary carcinoma contiguous to the wall of an emphysematous bulla is relatively rare. The Japanese literature was reviewed.