title: Spontaneous regression of large-cell carcinoma of the lung--a rare observation in clinical practice.
abstract: Spontaneous regression of non-small-cell lung carcinoma is extremely rare and there are few documented cases. We report a 59-year-old man with a right upper lobe tumour which showed progressive regression while hilar adenopathy appeared 2 months after the initial tumour detection. At operation, only scar tissue was found in the lung but a hilar lymph node contained large-cell undifferentiated carcinoma. This report indicates that a decrease in size of a pulmonary mass does not exclude the diagnosis of carcinoma and that metastatic disease can occur even if the primary tumour regresses.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Hansell
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Corrin
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pastorino
mesh_terms: D001999:Bronchoscopy; D018287:Carcinoma, Large Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed