Diffuse Idiopathic Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cell Hyperplasia Mimicking Lung Cancer: A Case Report

Diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH) is an extremely uncommon and incompletely elucidated pulmonary condition arising from neuroendocrine cells within the airway epithelium. We report the case of a 65-year-old woman who presented to our thoracic surgery department with a history of hemoptysis following the incidental discovery of a solitary pulmonary nodule in the right middle lobe, highly suspicious for lung cancer. After a thorough diagnostic workup, including positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), our multidisciplinary team recommended a right middle lobectomy. The histopathological examination of the resected specimen confirmed DIPNECH without evidence of an associated carcinoid tumor. Given the potential for progression to neuroendocrine neoplasm, the development of evidence-based management protocols for DIPNECH remains essential. This case highlights the atypical and often silent presentation of this rare lung pathology and emphasizes the importance of considering DIPNECH in the differential diagnosis of asymptomatic patients presenting with solitary pulmonary nodules.