Abstract
Cases of solitary pulmonary metastasis derived from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are rare, because they are usually discovered as bilateral and multiple lesions or with metastases of multiple organs. The following describes an extremely rare case of resected pulmonary metastasis derived from ICC which was difficult to differentiate from primary lung carcinoma. A 70-year-old male, having undergone hepatectomy for ICC 48 months prior, was referred to our department due to a nodular shadow on chest computed tomography, but a definitive diagnosis could not be made. Assuming that the pulmonary nodule was primary lung cancer because of the rarity of solitary pulmonary metastasis derived from ICC, a thoracoscopic right upper lobectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. Histological examination and immunohistochemical staining of the resected pulmonary nodule revealed a metastatic lesion derived from ICC. In cases where the pulmonary nodule cannot be distinguished between primary lung cancer and pulmonary metastases, we recommend that careful consideration be given at the time of determining surgical treatment for the pulmonary nodule.
