A Case of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Respiratory Bronchiolitis Associated Interstitial Lung Disease Patient.

Jhun, Byung Woo; Kim, Da Min; Park, Ji Hyeon; Jung, Hyunae; Song, Limhwa; Han, Joungho; Chung, Man Pyo

doi:2011.71.3.216

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 71(3); 2011 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2011;71(3):216-220.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2011.71.3.216 Published online September 1, 2011.

A Case of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Respiratory Bronchiolitis Associated Interstitial Lung Disease Patient.

Byung Woo Jhun, Da Min Kim, Ji Hyeon Park, Hyunae Jung, Limhwa Song, Joungho Han, Man Pyo Chung

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. mp.chung@samsung.com
²Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease is one of the smoking-related interstitial lung diseases. Histopathologically, it shows respiratory bronchiolitis, which is characterized by the accumulation of pigmented macrophages within the respiratory bronchioles, accompanying peribronchiolar inflammation. Clinically, it is presented with respiratory symptoms such as a cough, sputum and dyspnea on exertion. It is well known that the incidence of malignancy in interstitial lung disease is high, but in respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease the report of accompanying malignancy is rare. Here we report a case of a 60-year-old male heavy smoker presented with a cough, sputum and clubbing finger. A chest computed tomography (CT) of the patient did not show any shadow suspected of malignancy, but adenocarcinoma was found on a transbronchial lung biopsy and on a surgical lung biopsy with respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease.

Key Words: Bronchiolitis, Lung Diseases, Interstitial, Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung