Clinical characteristics of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis caused by Schizophyllum commune.

BACKGROUND: Allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) is an allergic disease caused by type I and type III hypersensitivity to environmental fungi. Schizophyllum commune, a basidiomycete fungus, is one of the most common fungi that causes non-Aspergillus ABPM. OBJECTIVE: Herein, we attempted to clarify the clinical characteristics of ABPM caused by S. commune (ABPM-Sc) compared with those of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). METHODS: Patients with ABPM-Sc or ABPA were recruited from a nationwide survey in Japan, a multicenter cohort, and a fungal database at the Medical Mycology Research Center of Chiba University. The definition of culture-positive ABPM-Sc/ABPA is as follows: (1) fulfills five or more of the 10 diagnostic criteria for ABPM proposed by Asano et al., and (2) positive culture of S. commune/Aspergillus spp. in sputum, bronchial lavage fluid, or mucus plugs in the bronchi. RESULTS: Thirty patients with ABPM-Sc and 46 with ABPA were recruited. Patients with ABPM-Sc exhibited less severe asthma and presented with better pulmonary function than those with ABPA (p = 0.008-0.03). Central bronchiectasis was more common in ABPM-Sc than that in ABPA, whereas peripheral lung lesions, including infiltrates/ground-glass opacities or fibrotic/cystic changes, were less frequent in ABPM-Sc. Aspergillus fumigatus-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E was negative in 10 patients (34%) with ABPM-Sc, who demonstrated a lower prevalence of asthma and levels of total serum IgE than those with ABPM-Sc positive for A. fumigatus-specific IgE or ABPA. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical characteristics of ABPM-Sc, especially those negative for A. fumigatus-specific IgE, differed from those of ABPA.

A pleomorphic carcinoma of the lung producing multiple cytokines and forming a rapidly progressive mass-like opacity.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer cells have been reported to produce cytokines, resulting in systemic reactions. There have been few reports showing that these cytokines induced the formation of an inflammatory mass around lung cancers. CASE PRESENTATION: We encountered a patient with a pleomorphic carcinoma of the lung. This tumor produced interleukin (IL)-8, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and IL-6, which in turn recruited inflammatory cells, such as CD8 positive lymphocytes, around the tumor, resulting in a rapidly growing tumor shadow. CONCLUSION: 18 F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography, in addition to a conventional radiological approach such as computed tomography, may detect immunological responses around a tumor.

[Case of bronchocentric granulomatosis that became recognized in the course of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis].

A 56-year-old man with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) was admitted due to the appearance of nodular opacities in the right upper lung field on chest radiography, after discontinuing itraconazole and clarithromycin on the suspicion of possible hepatic adverse effects. Chest CT scans on admission revealed nodular opacities in the right S3 and lingula bronchus, and bilateral bronchiectasis with mucoid impactions. A specimen obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy showed complete replacement of bronchioles by necrotizing granulomatous inflammation, containing the diagnosis of bronchocentric granulomatosis. Treatment with corticosteroids and micafungin sodium resulted in marked resolution of nodular opacities and mucoid impacts. This case suggests that abrupt cessation of antifungal agents and macrolides may provoke acute exacerbation of ABPA and development of bronchocentric granulomatosis.

[Diffuse expression of KIT in a pulmonary artery sarcoma].

A 77-year-old woman presented with hoarseness and hemoptysis. Chest CT scan revealed a mediastinal tumor in the lumen of the left pulmonary artery. A definitive diagnosis could not be made based on mediastinoscopy and thoracotomy. Eight months later, multiple nodular shadows appeared in both lung fields.Video-assisted lung biopsy showed that these nodules were lung metastases of a spindle cell sarcoma. Based on the pathological and radiological findings, a pulmonary artery sarcoma was eventually diagnosed. Interestingly, on immunohistological staining, the tumor cells were diffusely positive for KIT, which is an immunohistochemical marker of gastrointestinal stromal tumors. The patient was treated with imatinib, a KIT tyrosine kinase inhibitor; however, the tumors progressed. The relationship between pulmonary artery sarcoma and KIT requires further study.