A case of synchronous multiple primary lung cancer with unusual co-occurrence of pulmonary minute meningothelial-like nodule

Abstract

A 57-year-old woman was diagnosed with pulmonary infection with synchronous multiple pulmonary nodules at the first visit. After multiple computed tomography (CT) follow-up examinations and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) examinations, the patient was diagnosed with suspected multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC). The patient underwent two-stage surgical procedures for removing accessible bilateral intrapulmonary nodules separately. Postoperative histopathological and genetic mutation analyses suggested synchronous multiple primary lung cancer (sMPLC) with accidental pulmonary minute meningothelial-like nodule (PMMN). At a follow-up three years after surgery, the patient maintained a good prognosis, and no new intrapulmonary lesions were found by follow-up CT up to now. In this case, imaging examinations played an indispensable role in preoperative systemic assessment and treatment decisions, and aggressive surgical resection was beneficial to the prognosis of sMPLC. Meanwhile, this case study suggests a potential relationship between PMMN and sMPLC