Gastrointestinal Fistula as First Presentation of Lung Cancer

The initial manifestation of lung cancer as gastrointestinal tract metastasis is an extremely rare event. In most cases, these metastases are diagnosed after the primary lung tumor, when potentially life-threatening complications develop, often requiring emergency surgery. Regardless of treatment, these patients have a poor prognosis, due to the advanced stage of their disease. We report a clinical case of a gastrointestinal fistula arising from a small bowel non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis as a first manifestation of the disease, in a 43-years-old man. He underwent laparatomy with segmental small bowel and colon resection, followed by pulmonary lobectomy. A few months later the patient presented a cerebellum metastasis and was submitted to metastasectomy and holocranial radiation. After that event, systemic chemotherapy was prescribed, due to bone metastasis. Twenty-nine month after diagnosis, the patient is alive with a stable general condition. Aggressive surgical treatment of both primary and metastatic tumors can provide palliation and may improve short-term survival.