Pulmonary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor resected by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: Report of a case

Abstract

Pulmonary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is rare. A 38-year-old woman visited our hospital 2 days after experiencing transient anterior chest pain. Chest radiography showed a nodule suggestive of adenocarcinoma in the middle lobe; however, transbronchial lung biopsy and computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous needle cytology showed signs of inflammation. To obtain a definitive diagnosis we performed a wedge resection using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and removed the nodule completely. The pathologic diagnosis made during surgery was IMT. The longest dimension of the nodule was 28 mm. Immunohistochemical examination showed proliferating spindle cells, which were positive for vimentin and smooth muscle actin, but negative for desmin, CD34, cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, S100 protein, and neuron specific enolase. These findings were consistent with the staining pattern of IMT previously reported. Careful follow-up is necessary to detect any sign of local recurrence and distant metastases.