A necrobiotic nodule indistinguishable from lung adenocarcinoma
Hanada, T.; Hizawa, N.; Ogura, S.; Isobe, H.; Miyamoto, K.; Narita, Y.; Kawakami, Y.
Nihon Kyobu Shikkan Gakkai Zasshi 33(3): 369-372
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0301-1542 PMID: 7739185 Document Number: 441911
A 43-year-old woman was referred for examination because of an abnormal shadow on a chest X-ray film. She had a 12-year history of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. Chest X-ray films and CT scans showed a pleurabased solitary nodule without a cavity. Cytological examination of a transbronchial biopsy specimen did not lead to a diagnosis, so thoracoscopic enucleation was performed. Histologically, the nodule consisted of lymphocytes and fibroblasts surrounding a central necrotic area, which indicated that it was a rheumatoid nodule. This solitary necrobiotic nodule was radiographically indistinguishable from lung adenocarcinoma, so histologic confirmation was necessary.