A Case of Bilateral Secondary Pneumothorax Shortly after the Completion of Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Tongue Cancer

Yoshiro Saito,Toshikazu Shimane,Takashi Moriya,Yukiomi Kushihashi,Yuya Kurasawa,Hideyuki Katsuta,Shunya Egawa,Hitoshi Sato,Kenichiro Ikeda

doi:10.4236/ijohns.2020.93013

Abstract

Metastatic lung tumours rarely lead to development of pneumothorax, and no case of bilateral secondary pneumothorax due to lung metastases arising from tongue cancer has been reported. Here, we report a case of a patient with tongue cancer with lung metastases complicated by bilateral secondary pneumothorax soon after the completion of concurrent chemoradiotherapy. A 39-year-old man with cervical lymph node metastases originating from pT2N0M0 tongue cancer underwent neck dissection and postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Shortly after the completion of chemoradiotherapy, he developed bilateral secondary pneumothorax. Subsequently, he underwent partial lung resection for the pulmonary fistulae for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes; nodular lesions found in both the lungs. The diagnosis of secondary pneumothorax was based on histopathological findings. Although all pulmonary fistulae disappeared after partial lung resection, he died of the primary disease despite our best efforts to control the metastatic pulmonary lesions.

Highlights

Metastatic lung tumours rarely lead to development of pneumothorax, and no case of bilateral secondary pneumothorax due to lung metastases arising from tongue cancer has been reported
We report a case of a patient with tongue cancer with lung metastases complicated by bilateral secondary pneumothorax soon after the completion of concurrent chemoradiotherapy
We have reported the case of patient with late cervical lymph node metastases from tongue cancer, who was diagnosed with bilateral pneumothorax after undergoing neck dissection and postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT)

Summary

Introduction

Metastatic lung tumour rarely causes pneumothorax and the prevalence of metastatic lung tumour leading to pneumothorax is less than. Despite the fact that the most common site of distant metastasis in tongue cancer is the lung, only a few studies have reported secondary pneumothorax caused by lung metastasis from tongue cancer [2]. We have reported the case of patient with late cervical lymph node metastases from tongue cancer (pT2N0M0), who was diagnosed with bilateral pneumothorax after undergoing neck dissection and postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). This occurs very rarely, to maintain the patient’s QoL, lung metastasis should be closely watched for any complication

Case Presentation

Discussion