Diagnosis of lung cancer in a patient with pneumoconiosis and progressive massive fibrosis using MRI

Abstract

We report the MRI features and correlative pathologic findings of a lung cancer in a patient with progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). In this case, MRI was able to distinguish the lung cancer as a high signal intensity area, and the fibrotic mass as a low signal intensity area, on both T1-weighted and T2-weighted images when compared with muscle. MRI is potentially useful in distinguishing cancer tissue from PMF in patients with pneumoconiosis.