A Resected Case of Invasive Mucinous Adenocarcinoma Reappeared after a Radiological Complete Spontaneous Remission

Abstract

A-68-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of an abnormal shadow on her chest plain X-ray film. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a nodule 40 mm in maximum diameter at the right segmental 9. During a follow-up period, this nodule showed spontaneous remission and then completely disappeared. Three years later, she was referred to our hospital because her chest plain X-ray film showed an abnormal shadow in the right lower lobe again. CT scan of the chest revealed a 38-mm nodule in the same region of the right segmental 9 as that of 3 years before. CT and PET findings of the tumor looked same as those of the previous shadow. Transbronchial cytology of the tumor revealed malignancy-suspected cells, and surgical resection was performed. Histological examination confirmed invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung. The patient has been disease-free, as of one year and 10 months after the operation. This case was considered to be of very rare lung cancer that reappeared after a radiological complete spontaneous remission, and an immune response that arose out of anti-nuclear antibody might be related to the spontaneous remission of the tumor.