2013 Volume 27 Issue 6 Pages 778-781
A 68-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of obstructive pneumonia with cough and fever. Chest CT showed right upper lobe atelectasis, and bronchoscopy showed complete obstruction of the right upper bronchus. Her serum CA19-9 and SLX levels were very high, and then a right upper lobectomy was performed under the preoperative diagnosis of lung carcinoma. Pathological examination of the resected lung revealed a granulomatous lesion and infiltration of lymphocytes without malignant findings. The levels of CA19-9 and SLX in the bronchial fluid were very high (2201,187 U/ml and 20,000 U/ml). A few colonies grew on a liquid medium, and were identified as Mycobacterium malmoense by PCR. Immunohistochemical staining of the bronchial epithelium and gland were positive for CA19-9. The increased serum CA19-9 and SLX levels normalized after the operation. This case suggests that CA19-9 and SLX are occasionally produced on a large scale in the lungs of patients without malignancy.
