Synchronous lung cancers: case report and review of the literature

Lung cancers may present separately as synchronous lesions and can pose a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. A 75-year-old man is reported who presented with two synchronous lung cancers, in his left upper and lower lobes, respectively. Extensive radiologic evaluation and mediastinoscopy failed to detect any evidence of metastatic disease. He underwent lung preserving surgery consisting of wedge resection and segmentectomy. Unfortunately, this patient relapsed six months after surgery. Long-term survival after surgical resection has been reported in such instances indicating the need for an individualized approach to treatment.