Pulmonary T2N0 adenocarcinoma with metastasis to a lymph node in the thoracic wall

Abstract

We experienced a rare case of lung cancer without hilar/mediastinal nodal involvement or direct invasion to the thoracic wall, but with metastasis to a lymph node in the thoracic wall. A 72-year-old woman with lung cancer was admitted to our hospital for the surgical therapy. She had suffered from right pleuritis in her childhood. During the dissection of the pleural adhesion around the whole lung, one small black lymph node was found in the thoracic wall and resected. Then, right middle and lower lobectomy and systematic nodal dissection were performed. The postoperative pathological examination revealed that nodal involvement was not observed in all samples except in the lymph node in the thoracic wall. In lung cancer patients with broad pleural adhesion, we should pay attention to lymph nodes in the thoracic wall. If we find them, the nodes should be resected for accurate staging.