Four months of pneumonia led to the discovery of a rare malignant lung tumor during endoscopy.

A 10-year-old boy from An Giang province was admitted to the Respiratory Department 1 at Children's Hospital 2 (Ho Chi Minh City) with pneumonia that had been unresponsive to treatment for over 4 months.

According to the medical history, from March to July 2024, the boy developed symptoms of fever and phlegmy cough. He was hospitalized twice for prolonged treatment of right lung collapse at different hospitals.

During my hospitalization, I underwent a chest CT scan which revealed uneven bronchial wall thickening, bronchiectasis mainly in the middle and lower lobes of the right lung, and right intermediate bronchus obstruction. Subsequently, a bronchoscopy showed a pseudomembranous vegetation in the bronchi, but no biopsy was performed. Based on the chest CT scan and bronchoscopy results, the doctors suspected I had pulmonary tuberculosis, discharged me, and scheduled a follow-up appointment at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Here, the child underwent screening tests for tuberculosis, all of which came back negative, and continued treatment for pneumonia. However, the boy did not respond well to treatment, so he was transferred to Children's Hospital 2.

X-ray images revealed pneumonia, and endoscopic images showed a bronchial tumor following biopsy.

On October 24th, Dr. Bui Ngoc Quynh Nhu (Respiratory Department 1, Children's Hospital 2) stated that upon receiving the child, doctors recognized a prolonged case of pneumonia with underlying structural abnormalities in the lungs. Doctors quickly scheduled a bronchoscopy, revealing a tumor completely obstructing the intermediate bronchus in the right bronchus, with a rough surface. A biopsy of the tumor was then performed for pathological examination. The results confirmed the tumor was mucinous carcinoma – a type of malignant lung tumor.

The child then underwent treatment according to the appropriate protocol. Currently, the child's health is stable and is responding well to chemotherapy.

"In this case, bronchoscopy helped access the tumor from within the bronchus, allowing for a biopsy to definitively diagnose its nature, thus minimizing the need for surgery for the patient," Dr. Nhu shared.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/viem-phoi-4-thang-noi-soi-phat-hien-u-ac-tinh-o-phoi-hiem-gap-185241024102110115.htm