[Radiofrequency of lung metastases: should initial pneumothorax predict treatment failure?]

Radiofrequency ablation for lung squamous cell carcinoma in a single-lung patient: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE

High morbidity and high mortality are the main features of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Radiofrequency ablation, which produces a large amount of heat to kill tumor cells, is one effective way to treat this disease.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We report the case of a 74-year-old man who presented with a 1-month history of right chest pain. His left lung was removed 12 years prior. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a mass in the right lower lobe.

DIAGNOSES

An excision biopsy of the mass showed lung squamous cell carcinoma.

INTERVENTIONS

We performed radiofrequency ablation.

OUTCOMES

The patient underwent 3.5 and 10 months of follow-up, with a partial response and complete remission, respectively.

LESSONS

CT-guided radiofrequency ablation is a safe and an effective minimally invasive treatment option. Radiofrequency appears to be a valuable alternative to surgery for inoperable patients presenting with a single-lung NSCLC.

[Lung cancer surgery in a single-lung]

INTRODUCTION

The diagnosis of a second lung cancer in a patient with a previous medical history of lung cancer is no longer a rarity. Also, it is possible to observe a new location in a patient who underwent pneumonectomy in the past. Surgery remains the best treatment. Our objective was to overview this subject.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Among 5611 patients operated in our institution, 186 (3.3%) had metachronous cancer and 17 had previous pneumonectomy (0.7% of pneumonectomies and 0.2% of NSCLC treated in our department). The procedure was diagnostic and therapeutic in 88% of cases (n=15).

RESULTS

There were 16 males and 1 female, mean age was 62.5-years. All were smokers (11 were former smokers) and 6 had other medical history. Mean FEV was 52% (range 35-95%). Types of resection were 2 lobectomies, 4 segmentectomies, and 11 wedge resections. There were no postoperative deaths, but two complications. Histological subtype of the first and second cancer was the same in 11 patients. All patients were pN0 after second surgery. The long-term survival (median 33 months) was 35.3% at 5-years and 14.1% at 10-years. Two patients treated with pneumonectomy for their first cancer were pN2. Patients who underwent upper right lobectomy for treatment of their second cancer survived longer than 5-years.

CONCLUSION

Surgical resection for lung cancer on single-lung is associated with acceptable morbidity and mortality. Prolonged survival can be achieved in selected patients.

Bronchopleural fistula after non small cell lung cancer radiofrequency ablation: what it implying to us?

Abstract

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an alternative method to treat the inoperable NSCLC and there were few serious complications after RFA therapy have been reported. Here, we reported a NSCLC patient endured empyema after treatment by RFA for one month. There was a 20 × 25 × 20 mm mass on the right middle lobe by CT scan before RFA and a huge gas cavity with liquid was found in the right chest cavity after RFA treatment for twenty- eight days. A hole in the right middle lobe was found with large amount of pus in the pleural cavity as well as the bronchopleural fistula (BPF) during the operation. Results from the postoperative pathology showed a multiple small foci differentiated adenocarcinoma, partial bronchiolar-alveolar carcinoma, 0.5 cm away around the hole at the same time. It is difficult to diagnose and treat the rare complication of BPF, while, the larger field of ablation might be helpful to postpone the tumor local progression. Therefore, surgery was a good option for BPF especially when an empyema occurred.

Virtual slides

The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/8028049341122276.