A Case of Colloid Adenocarcinoma of the Lung for Which Preoperative and Intraoperative Diagnosis Was Difficult

Abstract

Background. Colloid adenocarcinoma consists of large amount of mucin and little of cancer, so its pathological diagnosis is difficult, not only preoperatively but also intraoperatively. Case. A 73-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of an abnormal opacity, on chest X-ray, which was suspected to be a lung cancer. But the diagnosis was not defined by twice transbronchial lung biopsy, and a CT-guided needle biopsy. So, we performed a laparoscopic operation for definite diagnosis and treatment. Though the intraoperative histopathological diagnosis did not show a malignant tumor, postoperative pathologic examination diagnosis was a colloid adenocarcinoma, finally. Conclusions. Colloid adenocarcinoma of the lung is a rare malignancy. When we face a type of tumor that contains a lot of mucins, and it is difficult to diagnose, we should take colloid adenocarcinoma into consideration.