Lung cancer coexisting with bullae

Scattered reports have suggested the association of cancer with bullous disease. We report herein, two surgical cases of lung cancer arising from bullae. Both the patients were males who smoked heavily and the generation of cancer was found simultaneously with the discovery of the bulla. At thoracotomy, it was found that the cancer had arisen from the firm, scarred and contracted area adjacent to the bulla wall. On the basis of this experience and review of the literature, it is suggested that physicians should always pay careful attention to the generation and complication of cancer while treating bullous disease in heavy smoking individuals.