[A case of bronchogenic squamous cell carcinoma associated with Swyer-James syndrome]

Swyer-James syndrome is considered to be a relatively uncommon disease entity presenting with unilateral hyperlucent lung due to hypoplasia of a pulmonary artery and bronchiectasis of the affected lung. Association of bronchogenic carcinoma with Swyer-James syndrome has not apparently been reported in any previous literature, except for one Japanese case. In the present paper, we describe a 48-year-old male individual, who developed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the right upper lobe bronchus after he had been diagnosed to have Swyer-James syndrome with unilateral hyperradiancy of the left lung. It is suggested that the bronchial epithelium of the unaffected lung in Swyer-James syndrome is likely to be more exposed to extrinsic carcinogens than that of the affected, underventilated lung, hence resulting in a higher risk of developing bronchogenic carcinoma.