[A rare case of lymphangitis carcinomatosa of the lung due to primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma with intestinal differentiation successfully treated with chemotherapy].

Abstract

We report a rare case of lymphangitis carcinomatosa in a 66-year-old man with a relatively long survival of 18 months following chemotherapy.The patient initially presented with dyspnea and lower abdominal pain.Subsequent colonoscopy detected adenocarcinoma of the descending colon, and computed tomography (CT) demonstrated indications of lymphangitis carcinomatosa of the lung.Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with pulmonary metastasis due to colon cancer and administered chemotherapy.The performance status (PS) of patients with lymphangitis carcinomatosa is usually dismal.This patient's PS was also poor, but dyspnea markedly improved following chemotherapy, and a subsequent CT revealed disappearance of radiological findings of lymphangitis carcinomatosa.However, subsequent immunocytochemistry analysis using the cell transfer method in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens revealed diffuse positivity for cytokeratin (CK) 7, while the colon carcinoma was negative for CK7.The difference in CK7 immunoreactivity between the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and biopsy specimen of the colon indicated that the lymphangitis carcinomatosa in this patient could be reasonably postulated to be caused by a synchronous primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma with intestinal differentiation.However, an autopsy could not be performed to test this hypothesis.

• Authors: Hirotaka Ishida, Kenichi Yokota, Yuka Suzuki, Etsuko Endo, Hiroyuki Ogasawara, Shinkichi Kosaka, Michito Minegishi, Takeru Iwane, Shigekuni Yokoyama, Hiroshi Otomo, Hironobu Sasano
• Journal: Gan to kagaku ryoho. Cancer & chemotherapy (Gan To Kagaku Ryoho) Vol. 42 Issue 3 Pg. 371-4 (Mar 2015) ISSN: 0385-0684 [Print] Japan
• PMID: 25812511 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Topics

• Adenocarcinoma (drug therapy, secondary)
• Adenocarcinoma of Lung
• Aged
• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (therapeutic use)
• Colonic Neoplasms (drug therapy, pathology, surgery)
• Fatal Outcome
• Humans
• Lung Neoplasms (drug therapy, secondary)
• Lymphangitis (etiology)
• Male
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed