Abstract
To investigate the difference between lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculoma, 5 tuberculomas diagnosed by VATS biopsy during the last 5 years were analysed from clinical, bacteriological and pathological standpoint and compared with 6 lung cancers diagnosed similarly. The sex was male in 3 patients and female in 2 for tuberculoma and male in 4 patients and female in 2 for lung cancer. The average age was 63.0 years old for tuberculoma and 66.5 years old for lung cancer. Tuberculoma was found by mass-survey in 4, during the treatment of emphysema in 1 and lung cancer was found by mass-survey in all cases. Radiological size of the tuberculoma was between 8 and 25 mm in diameter, the average diameter was 19.6 mm and lung cancer was between 8 and 22 mm in diameter, the average diameter was 17.5 mm, One or more rodiological signs which were indicative of either malignant or benign tumors, such as notch, indentation of the visceral pleura, spicula, and a lack of satelite lesion, were seen in most of the cases. One case with complicated emphysema was strongly suspected of lung cancer, because of growing tendency of the shadow. One case of small cell carcinoma was storongly suspected of tuberculoma, because of a sharply democated margine. VATS biopsy is an useful technique for differential diagnosis of small pulmonary nodules (less than 20 mm).
