CLINICAL CASES   

Chirurgia 2009 February;22(1):45-8

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

A lung metastasis of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the urinary bladder

Maeda R. ¹, Isowa N. ¹, Onuma H. ², Miura H. ², Koumi T. ³

¹ Division of Thoracic Surgery Matsue Red Cross Hospital, Shimane, Japan 2 Division of Pathology Matsue Red Cross Hospital, Shimane, Japan 3 Division of Urology Matsue Red Cross Hospital, Shimane, Japan

We report a case of a lung metastasis of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the urinary bladder in a 79-year-old man. The patient underwent radical cystoprostatectomy for a urinary bladder tumor and the postoperative histological diagnosis was LCNEC of the urinary bladder. Six months later, computed tomography scanning of the chest revealed a small nodule in the left lower lobe of the lung, which rapidly increased in size from 0.5 cm to 6 cm over a 10-month period. Positron emission tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) revealed high accumulation at the lesion. We were highly suspicious that the mass was a virulent tumor because it rapidly increased in size and FDG-PET revealed high FDG accumulation. Therefore, we performed a thoracotomy to obtain a definitive diagnosis and for treatment. The postoperative histological diagnosis was lung metastasis of LCNEC of the urinary bladder.