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Updated: May 29, 2026

Robotic-assisted Left Pneumonectomy For Vanishing Lung Syndrome
Published on: January 23, 2026
Spontaneous regression of primary lung cancer arising from an emphysematous bulla
Masashi Furukawa1, Takahiro Oto, Masaomi Yamane
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Okayama University Hospital, 2-5-1 Shikatacho, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan.
Abstract:
Bullous emphysema is an important risk factor for lung cancer. Here, we report the case of a 56-year-old man who underwent surgical treatment for primary lung cancer arising from the wall of a bulla. Chest computed tomography (CT) had revealed a nodule arising from the bulla wall. This nodule showed positive uptake of (18)fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) during positron emission tomography (PET)-CT. However, repeat CT performed after 2 months showed a spontaneous decrease in the tumor size. Exploratory resection revealed non-small cell lung cancer, which was confirmed by the findings of intraoperative frozen-section analysis; therefore, right upper lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection were performed. The postoperative, pathological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma arising from the wall of a bulla. From this case, we infer that lung cancer arising from the wall of a bulla may spontaneously regress, and FDG/PET is a useful tool to diagnose lung tumor in patients with pulmonary bullous disease.
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