title: [Pulmonary cryptococcoma with involvement of the chest wall in an immunocompetent patient].
abstract: The pulmonary cryptococcosis in immunocompetent patients is unusual, and its presentation as large masses with involvement of the chest wall and the neighboring soft tissues has not been found in our bibliographic research. The variety gattii (serotype B/C) is limited geographically to tropical and subtropical regions and appears to affect particularly immunocompetent individuals. We describe the case of a 51-year-old man from the Northeast of Argentina, with a history of smoking 10 pack/year. He presented an increased volume of the left shoulder and reported that for the last six months he had been unable to move it due to the pain. A percutaneous biopsy of the mass provided a diagnosis of Cryptococcus neoformans, variety gattii. The patient was treated with antifungal therapy showing a favourable outcome with a progressive decrease of the mass.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. apisarevsky@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ana Andrea
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Pisarevsky
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Larriera
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cean
authors.forename: Enrique A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Petrucci
mesh_terms: D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012782:Shoulder