ABSTRACT
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma only rarely occurs as a primary lung mass. We report a very rare case of primary pulmonary anaplastic large cell lymphoma presenting with acute atelectasis in a 55-year-old man. Chest computed tomography revealed a consolidated central mass in the left lung with obstructive pneumonia that had developed into total atelectasis. After a bronchoscopic examination failed to yield a definite diagnosis, supraclavicular lymph node biopsy was performed, revealing an anaplastic large cell lymphoma. This case illustrates the need for rapidly locating a possible biopsy site, other than the primary lung mass itself, and the value of empirical steroid treatment for avoiding devastating exacerbation when aggressive pulmonary lymphoma is suspected.
ABSTRACT
An 80-year-old woman presenting with chest pain was found to have a large, lobulated soft tissue mass in the liver and nearby tissues on abdominal computed tomography (CT). The tumor had invaded the common hepatic artery and main portal vein. Jaundice developed 4 wk later, at which point, a pancreas and biliary CT scan revealed a large mass in the right lobe of the liver and a hilar duct obstruction, which was found to be a small cell carcinoma. Despite its rarity, liver and bile duct small cell carcinoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of atypical chest pain without jaundice.