Phantom Tumor of the Lung

Background: Localized interlobar effusions in congestive heart failure (phantom or vanishing lung tumor/s)are uncommon but well-known entities.Case Report: The patient is a 60-year-old male with a history of dyspnea and surgical removal of kidneystone in 1 year ago.Results: In chest-X-ray prior to the surgery an olive-shaped homogenous density, with a size of 30 mm × 20mm in the right lung have been detected. Computed tomography (CT) scan has been performed, and ahomogenous mass with a well-delineated border in major fissure of the right lung andmediastinal lymphadenopathy had been detected. Serial CT scans revealed mass enlargement. In Ct guided,Transthoracic biopsy fluid collection along the major fissure of the right lung had been detected. Biopsy ofmediastinal lymph node silicoanthracotic changes with focal hyaline fibrosis had been shown.Conclusions: The diagnosis of the phantom tumor must be considered in any patient with congestive heartfailure and lung mass. In this patient, there was no history of congestive heart failure which shows thatphantom tumor could happen in non-chronic heart failure patients. Although the accurate diagnosis of thephantom tumor with imaging modalities in patients without congestive heart failure is very difficult but at leastthis diagnosis must be considered in a patient with a lung mass in the major fissure of the lungs.© 2015 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.Citation: Ghorbani-Abdegah A, Ershadi R, Radmard AR, Gohari-Moghadam K, Sadat-Safavi A, Tajedin A,et al. Phantom Tumor of the Lung. Acad J Surg, 2015; 2(3-4): 66-9.

Keywords:

Heart failure , Lung diseases , Lung neoplasms , Phantoms , Imaging , Pleural effusion , Treatmentoutcome