[Pulmonary Amyloidosis: A Diagnostic Challenge]

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Pathology

Background:

• Amyloidosis involves extracellular amyloid deposition in organs.
• Pulmonary amyloidosis is an uncommon manifestation, presenting focally or systemically.

Observation:

• Case 1: A 71-year-old female with bronchiectasis and Sjögren syndrome presented with anorexia, weight loss, and cough, diagnosed with pulmonary amyloidosis via lung biopsy.
• Case 2: An 83-year-old male ex-smoker, asymptomatic, had a routine chest X-ray revealing a nodular opacity, later diagnosed as an amyloid lung tumor via transthoracic biopsy.

Findings:

• These cases highlight rare presentations of pulmonary amyloidosis.
• One case coexisted with Sjögren syndrome and bronchiectasis.

Implications:

• Accurate diagnosis of pulmonary amyloidosis is essential.
• Distinguishing amyloidosis from lung cancer is critical due to amyloidosis' typically benign nature.