Successful intentional lobectomy for lung cancer after treating contralateral diaphragmatic eventration

Diaphragmatic eventration permanently raises all or part of the hemidiaphragm, thus impairing respiratory function by compressing the ipsilateral lung and mediastinum. A 55-year-old woman had cT1N0M0 lung adenocarcinoma in the right lower lobe and diaphragmatic eventration in the left hemithorax. We repaired the eventration to recover respiratory function, then performed a radical lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection. Pathologically, the tumor was a well-differentiated acinar adenocarcinoma (pT1N0M0 stage IA). She was free from cancer and eventration 18 months later. This is the first known report of a lung cancer patient with impaired respiratory function who underwent an intentional radical lobectomy following repair of contralateral diaphragmatic eventration to recover respiratory function.