2003 Volume 43 Issue 2 Pages 137-141
Background. Although there are some reports of lung cancer complicated by membranous nephropathy, the mechanism of their simultaneous occurrence is not well understood. Case. A 69-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of right back pain. Chest X-ray examination revealed a massive shadow in the right upper lobe. The tumor mass was diagnosed as poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (T2N3M0 Stage IIIB). Urinary protein excretion was 2.6 g/day. The serum level of cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1) was 39.1 ng/ml. Combination chemotherapy with carboplatin and docetaxel hydrate was started. A partial response was finally obtained after five courses. Serum level of CYFRA21-1 and amount of urinary protein excretion were decreased to 7.1 ng/ml and 0.1 g/day. After discharge, the lung cancer progressed and he finally died of respiratory failure. Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung and membranous nephropathy were proven by autopsy. Conclusion. This case appears to have exhibited parallel time courses of progression of adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung, membranous nephropathy and changes in serum CYFRA21-1 level. This is of interest in considering the mechanism of the complication of lung cancer by membranous nephropathy.
