[Differential diagnostic problem of distinguishing pulmonary infiltrates following bleomycin therapy from metastases]

Sixty patients with malignant testicular tumours were treated with bleomycin according to the Einhorn regime. Following treatment, pulmonary infiltrates were seen on the chest x-ray of three patients and the CT of six patients. Altogether 24 infiltrates resembling metastases were seen in five patients. Five round foci were combined with infiltrates in other parts of the lung. Regression of the infiltrates after stopping bleomycin, negative tumour markers, the timing of the development of the infiltrates and the regression of the infiltrates in three patients without treatment make it extremely unlikely that the appearances were due to metastases.