title: [Lung abscess which needed to be distinguished from lung cancer; report of a case].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Differential diagnosis of lung abscess from lung cancer is sometimes difficult.
  
  
  METHODS
  In February 2009, a 57-year-old man consulted our hospital complaining of bloody sputum. Chest computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a 2.5 cm nodule with pleural indentation, spicula and vascular involvement in the right S(3). Bronchofiberscope could not establish a definitive diagnosis. Blood test showed no abnormality. Three months later, progression of the nodule to the adjacent middle lobe was demonstrated by follow-up CT, and F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) showed isotope accumulation in the nodule and hilar lymph node. A diagnosis of lung cancer was suspected and surgery was performed. The diagnosis of possible lung cancer was made by needle biopsy, and the patient underwent right upper lobectomy and partial resection of middle lobe with standard nodal dissection. The final pathological diagnosis was lung abscess.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lung abscess must be kept in mind as a possible differential diagnosis when abnormal shadow suspected of lung cancer is observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshizu
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Misumi
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hida
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008169:Lung Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged