A case of rectal carcinoma with pulmonary aspergilloma

Abstract

A 76-year-old male was found to have an abnormal mass on a routine plain chest X-ray. Further clinical and radiological examinations of the chest lesion suggested the possibility of lung cancer or pulmonary aspergilloma. On colonoscopy, an advanced lower rectal carcinoma was found. The patient was diagnosed as having rectal carcinoma and pulmonary aspergilloma. Under the same anesthetic, both Hartmann's operation for the rectal carcinoma and resection of the lower lobe of the right lung for the pulmonary aspergilloma were performed.
Histopathological examinations of the resected specimens documented moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the rectum and an Aspergillus fungus body in the lung cavity. After the operation, the patient developed multiple pulmonary and liver metastases with local recurrence and subsequently died. At the time of death, there were no clinical signs suggestive of pulmonary aspergillosis recurrence. This is the first report describing resection of pulmonary aspergilloma and GI tract carcinoma done under the same anesthetic in a patient in Japan.