2018 Volume 32 Issue 6 Pages 725-730
The development of a lung abscess induced by transbronchial biopsy (TBB) is a rare but serious complication. Here, we report three patients with malignant lung tumors who developed abscesses after TBB. The patients were two males and one female, and the mean age was 70.7 years. Two patients had primary lung cancer and one patient had metastatic lung cancer. Adenocarcinoma was the histological type in all three cases. Tumors were located in the left upper lobe in two patients and the right upper lobe in one patient. The largest diameter of the tumors based on computed tomography images before TBB was more than 30 mm in all cases. The mean number of days until symptoms developed was 5. In addition, the mean number of days until surgical treatment was performed after diagnosis of lung abscess was 12. Lobectomy was performed for two patients and pneumonectomy was performed for one patient. Lung abscesses associated with malignant lung tumors are often resistant to conservative treatment and consequently necessitate surgical treatment. Inflammation associated with abscesses can spread; therefore, surgery focuses on infection control rather than only curing the malignant tumor. In conclusion, it is important that surgical treatment is not delayed.
