A case of pulmonary metastasis of colon cancer with thin cavitations

Abstract

A 76–year–old woman underwent an operation for ascending colon cancer on May, 2006 and adjuvant chemotherapy after that. She consulted our clinic for an abnormal shadow on chest CT at the end of April, 2007. The chest CT revealed multiple masses measuring 12×10 mm at maximum in the bilateral lung field. Some masses were solid and the other had cavitations. The cavitations were only about 3 mm thick at maximum. We thought that it was a lung metastasis of colon cancer from the clinical course and performed an operation. We removed some masses which were solid and with cavitations capable of partial resection. A perioperative quick pathological examination showed the moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma in all the resected masses. Since it was thought to be a metastasis of colon cancer, so finished the operation without removing the remaining masses. Although pulmonary metastasis of the malignant tumors including colon cancer with thin cavitations is rare, it is necessary to consider pulmonary metastasis in a case with pulmonary masses with thin cavitations and a history of malignant tumors.