[A case of lipoid pneumonia showing a pulmonary nodule mimicking lung cancer]

A 49-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of hemosputum, left chest pain and an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a tumor-like shadow with a low density area in the left lower lung field. Ga scintigraphy revealed strong Ga uptake in the left lower lung. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy showed obstruction of subsegmental bronchi of it. B9+10. Neither transbronchial biopsy nor sputum cytology showed any malignant cells. Transcutaneous lung biopsy showed infiltration of foamy macrophages in alveolar spaces and lymphocytes and plasma cells in alveolar septa. Since there was a possibility of complicating lung cancer, and because of refractory hemosputum, the patient underwent left lower lobectomy. The cut surface of the resected left lobe showed the features of golden pneumonia with cavitation. The histological features of the resected specimen were those of lipoid pneumonia, and no cancer cells were detected.