Lung Cancer Detected 5 Years after Resection of Cancer of Unknown Primary in a Mediastinal Lymph Node: A Case Report and Review of Relevant Cases from the Literature

Hidenori Kawasaki; Kazunari Arakaki; Naohiro Taira; Tomonori Furugen; Takaharu Ichi; Tomofumi Yohena; Tsutomu Kawabata

doi:10.5761/atcs.cr.15-00154

Case Reports

Lung Cancer Detected 5 Years after Resection of Cancer of Unknown Primary in a Mediastinal Lymph Node: A Case Report and Review of Relevant Cases from the Literature

Hidenori Kawasaki, Kazunari Arakaki, Naohiro Taira, Tomonori Furugen, Takaharu Ichi, Tomofumi Yohena, Tsutomu Kawabata

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Keywords: cancer of unknown primary site, lung cancer

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2016 Volume 22 Issue 2 Pages 116-121

DOI https://doi.org/10.5761/atcs.cr.15-00154

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Abstract

We report the rare and interesting case of a primary lung cancer detected 5 years after cancer of unknown primary (CUP) of a mediastinal lymph node (LN) was resected. A 40-year-old male was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of unknown primary in a mediastinal lymph node after resection of the mediastinal tumor. Five years after resection of the CUP in mediastinal LN, a small, abnormal nodular shadow in left upper lobe was detected by chest CT. This pulmonary tumor was diagnosed as a lung adenocarcinoma. The pathological and immunohistological findings of the resected pulmonary tumor resembled those of the LN resected 5 years before. We speculated that the pulmonary lesion represented primary lung cancer that enlarged later than the metastatic mediastinal LN. This case illustrates the importance of careful observation and long-term follow-up in patients treated for CUP of a thoracic LN.

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