Drug-Induced Lung Disease

Abstract

Drug-induced lung disease may present with a variety of histopathologic features, and numerous therapeutic agents have been reported to cause an acute or chronic pulmonary reaction. A lung biopsy might be performed, so that the pathologist receives a specimen in which drug reaction is included in the differential diagnosis. The surgical pathologist should be aware of and able to diagnose the many common histologic patterns, including chronic interstitial pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, diffuse alveolar damage, pulmonary eosinophilia, pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, pulmonary hemorrhage/vasculitis, pulmonary edema, pulmonary hypertension, granulomatous inflammation, and pleural disease. Other common conditions associated with these patterns of injury should be excluded, making radiologic findings and clinical information also necessary for the diagnosis of drug-induced lung disease.