title: Simultaneous thigh muscle metastasis from lung cancer and Escherichia coli gas producing myonecrosis.
abstract: We present the case of a 41-year-old man with known large cell lung cancer who had undergone left pneumonectomy 7 months prior and who presented with a large intramuscular mass involving the posterior left thigh and upper calf. This thigh mass was ultimately surgically explored, and specimens yielded both Escherichia coli organisms and cells reflecting a skeletal muscle metastasis from the patient's known lung cancer. The patient was also found to have a rectal metastasis from his lung cancer. Intramuscular abscesses produced by gastrointestinal tract flora are a well-known presentation of colon cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of the simultaneous occurrence of a skeletal muscle metastasis and an E. coli abscess in the same anatomic location. We believe the patient's rectal metastasis may have been the intermediate step in this process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hospital Italiano, Cordoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gonzalo E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Courtney A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Coursey
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.forename: Salutario
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martinez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D009336:Necrosis; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D013848:Thigh; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed