Case report: Hidden Adenocarcinoma of the lung in an obese non-smoker presented with pulmonary embolism
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Date
2024-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Educational Society for Excellence
Abstract
Background: Lung carcinomas are responsible for the highest number of deaths among cancers in the world. The annual new incidences exceed 2.1 million, only secondarily to breast cancer. 70% of cases occur in smokers. The majority is presented with insidious onset features of chronic cough, shortness of breaths, recurrent pneumonias, weight loss and lethargy. Majority of incidentally found patients, who are asymptomatic are in the early stages, hence have a chance for surgical resection with a better prognosis. Case report: This 44-year-old obese, non- smoking male patient presented with a short duration of pneumoniaand venous thromboembolism (VTE) and a sudden onset of pulmonary embolism (PE). A secondary deposit found in the liver suggested an adenocarcinoma of the lung by immunohistochemistry. At the time of presentation, it was classified as stage 4. The patient had to be ventilated due to the respiratory difficulty accompanied with obesity, PE and pneumonia. Unfortunately, patient died seven days following admission to intensive care unit (ICU), not allowing for chemotherapy, which was the option of treatment.Conclusion: Hidden carcinoma of the lung can easily be missed in a non-smoker who is at a lower risk for lung cancer. Presence of VTE and PE in an obese non-smoker may mask the diagnosis further. Extreme vigilance, complete and through investigations are needed to diagnose a hidden carcinoma of the lung.
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Keywords
Adenocarcinoma of the lung, Venous thromboembolism, Immunohistochemistry of lung cancer
Citation
Abeysundara Anura, Jayakody SDB, Udupihille JJKH, Rathnayake Jeewantha . Case report: Hidden Adenocarcinoma of the lung in an obese non-smoker presented with pulmonary embolism. International Archives of Integrated Medicine. 2024 Feb; 11(2): 22-25