Metastases of lung cancer to such organs as the liver, bones or to the central nervous system appear to be a frequent complication of this disease. At the same time, metastases to the adrenal gland are found less frequently. Metastases of lung cancer to the spleen are a great rarity and they are described sporadically. Our report presents a unique case of left lung cancer with simultaneous metastases to the adrenal gland and to the spleen. All the presented lesions were diagnosed by ultrasound guided biopsy and confirmed by histopathological examination.The patient received combined chemoradiotherapy. She was closely monitored over an 18-month observation period following treatment. No new metastases were reported.
Abstract:The purpose of our study was to show if there is any correlation between the location of the primary cancer site in the lungs, and the appearance of metastases in the spleen. 1,998 patients with confirmed lung cancer were analyzed. In 22 out of 22 cases, splenic lesions were detected by both, computer tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US) in all 22 of them. All patients with splenic lesions detected by the US underwent US-guided biopsy. Among these patients, metastases to the spleen were histopathologically confirmed in all 22 cases. 18 metastases in the spleen originated from left lung tumors, 3 from right lung tumor. In the 1 case remaining, a pattern of benign lesion was confirmed. The authors came to the conclusion that lung cancer metastases detected in the spleen originate mainly from the left lung cancer which can be caused by higher blood flow to the left lung as compared to the right lung.
Abstract:The purpose of our study was to show if there is any correlation between the location of the primary cancer site in the lungs and the appearance of metastases in the adrenal gland. 2,340 patients with confirmed lung cancer were analyzed. The study group of 2,340 patients was divided into two subgroups: 1,998 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer located only in one lung, and 342 with disseminated lung cancer. Among the group of 1,998 patients, in 218 cases, pathological lesions in the adrenal glands were detected using computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR). In 161 out of 218 cases, suprarenal lesions were detected by ultrasound (US). All patients with suprarenal lesions detected by US (161 cases in total ) underwent US-guided biopsy. Among these patients, metastases to the adrenal glands were histopathologically confirmed in 91 cases. In 70 cases, the histopathological reporting confirmed benign lesions. Altogether there were 64 adrenal metastases originated from the left lung cancer and 32 metastases from the right lung cancer. In 342 patients with disseminated cancer, four of them had confirmed metastases in both adrenal glands; seven patients had a metastatic lesion in the left and three in the right adrenal gland. Among this group, metastases to other organs such as the liver, bones, central nervous system and mediastinal lymph nodes were also detected. The authors came to the conclusion that the higher occurrence rate of adrenal metastases from the left lung carcinoma as compared to the right lung carcinoma is associated with higher blood flow in the left lung.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.