title: Small cell carcinoma of the lung exclusively localized within the left descending pulmonary artery.
abstract: We encountered a 69-year-old woman displaying a filling defect within the left descending pulmonary artery (PA) on a chest CT scan and pulmonary angiography. A subsequent 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scan demonstrated focal uptake in the left hilum. A cytologic examination of transbronchial needle aspiration specimens revealed small cell carcinoma. The patient underwent concurrent radiation therapy and chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide, resulting in tumor shrinkage and recanalization of the involved PA. This is the first case of small cell carcinoma localized exclusively within the PA, and positive findings on FDG-PET facilitated the unexpected diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita-ku North 15, West 7, Sapporo, 060-8638 Hokkaido, Japan. kamigaki@med.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Mitsunori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamigaki
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Ichizo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsujino
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suga
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakaue
authors.forename: Hirotoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dosaka-Akita
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishimura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome