Primary lung tumour visualised by transthoracic echocardiography.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonology
• Oncology

Background:

• Primary lung tumors are typically diagnosed using chest X-rays and CT scans.
• Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is primarily used for cardiac assessments.
• Visualizing lung tumors with TTE is an uncommon occurrence.

Observation:

• A 78-year-old male patient presented with a suspected left lung tumor on chest X-ray.
• Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a large tumor situated in close proximity to the heart.
• Combined positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) corroborated the TTE findings, showing the tumor's location.

Findings:

• The primary lung tumor was successfully visualized using transthoracic echocardiography.
• Histopathological analysis via fine-needle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer.
• The imaging findings highlighted the tumor's significant size and its anatomical relationship with cardiac structures.

Implications:

• This case demonstrates the potential utility of transthoracic echocardiography in the incidental detection and characterization of primary lung tumors.
• Echocardiography may offer complementary information in cases where lung tumors are located near the heart.
• Further research could explore the role of TTE in the multidisciplinary assessment of thoracic malignancies.