Pulmonary blastoma: medium-term results from a regional center

Pulmonary blastomas are rare lung tumors that morphologically resemble fetal pulmonary structure and can exist in two forms, biphasic and monophasic. We reviewed our experience over a 12-year period with emphasis on the clinical features, management, and outcome.

Patients with a diagnosis of pulmonary blastoma from January 1988 to July 1999 were identified from the database of the Department of Histopathology, Llandough Hospital, Cardiff. Specimens had been obtained from bronchoscopy, fine-needle aspiration, trucut biopsy, and thoracotomy.

Six patients were identified from 2,720 histologically proven lung cancers (0.2%). Median age was 35.5 years and sex ratio was equal. Overall, 4 patients underwent resection and are all alive (median, 43.5 months). Three of these had advanced tumors at presentation (stage IIIb or IV), two of which were successfully downstaged with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and the third treated with postoperative radiotherapy. Nonresected cases succumbed at a median of 5.5 months.

Although pulmonary blastomas are rare, those affected represent a group of patients with advanced tumors for whom a coordinated approach from both oncologists and surgeons can achieve excellent medium-term results.