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Appearance of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma and the rapid progression into invasive papillary adenocarcinoma

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Abstract

The prognostic importance of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in comparison to the invasive subtypes needs to be studied, although the natural history of a pure bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is still unclear. We report the appearance of a pure ground-glass opacity that demonstrates rapid progression into a solid component in the central area, pathologically revealing a minimally invasive papillary adenocarcinoma. Considering the findings of previous reports, as well as our case, we need to pay careful attention to the follow-up of a patient who has even a pure ground-glass opacity when the patient had a history of an invasive lung cancer. We need also to perform curative surgery with optimal timing.

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Correspondence to Hiroyuki Kaneda.

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Kaneda, H., Sakaida, N., Saito, T. et al. Appearance of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma and the rapid progression into invasive papillary adenocarcinoma. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 57, 224–227 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-008-0345-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-008-0345-5

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