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Nodule around the staple line after pulmonary resection: benign granuloma or cancer recurrence?

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Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

When a mass develops around the staple line after lung cancer surgery, differential diagnosis between lung cancer recurrence and benign granuloma can be clinically problematic. Therefore, we investigated the clinical characteristics of benign granuloma and cancer recurrence around the staple line to determine clinical factors that can distinguish staple line granuloma and cancer recurrence.

Methods

We retrospectively investigated the clinical records of 25 patients who developed a nodule around the staple line after pulmonary resection for lung cancer and conducted a comparative study of staple line granuloma and cancer recurrence.

Results

Among 25 patients, the nodule was diagnosed as benign granuloma in 9, recurrence of primary lung cancer in 8, and recurrence of metastatic lung cancer in 8. Among these three groups, there were no significant differences in age, maximum standardized uptake value of fluoro-deoxyglucose, laboratory data, or radiological findings. However, in comparison with the cancer recurrence cases, the proportion of patients who had undergone segmentectomy as initial surgery was significantly higher in the granuloma group. Moreover, in five patients in the granuloma group, mycobacterium was detected.

Conclusion

It seemed difficult to differentiate between cancer recurrence and granuloma on the basis of radiological examination and laboratory findings. However, if a mass shadow around the staple line appeared after segmentectomy, the mass is likely to be a granuloma. Mycobacterial infection may be an important factor for development of granuloma on the staple line.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Hospital Organization Himeji Medical Center, 670-8520 Honmachi 68, Himeji City, Hyogo, Japan

    Katsunari Matsuoka, Tetsu Yamada, Takahisa Matsuoka, Shinjiro Nagai, Mitsuhiro Ueda & Yoshihiro Miyamoto

Authors
  1. Katsunari Matsuoka
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  2. Tetsu Yamada
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  3. Takahisa Matsuoka
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  4. Shinjiro Nagai
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  5. Mitsuhiro Ueda
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  6. Yoshihiro Miyamoto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katsunari Matsuoka.

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The need for subsequent individual consent from patients whose records were evaluated was waived because the individuals were not identified in this study.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Matsuoka, K., Yamada, T., Matsuoka, T. et al. Nodule around the staple line after pulmonary resection: benign granuloma or cancer recurrence?. Indian J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 35, 569–574 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12055-019-00824-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12055-019-00824-z

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