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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2001;19:92-95
© 2001 Elsevier Science NL

Case report

Primitive squamous-cell carcinoma after extrapleural pneumothorax for active tuberculosis

Thoracic Surgery Department, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

Received 19 June 2000; received in revised form 2 November 2000; accepted 2 November 2000.

Corresponding author. Thoracic Surgery Department, S. Giovanni Battista Hospital, v. Genova 3, I-10126 Torino, Italy Tel.: +39-11-6966951; fax: +39-11-6960170
e-mail: caterina.casadio{at}unito.it

Squamous-cell carcinoma into an extrapleural pneumothorax for active tuberculosis was incorrectly diagnosed as late tubercular empyema. Right axillary thoracostomy was carried out to drain large dense effusion decompressing the brachial plexus and the sympathetic chain with symptomatic release. Surgical biopsy of the extrapleural sac allowed to identify two different tissues: normal epithelium similar to epidermis and nodular fragments composed of well-differentiated squamous carcinoma. The cause of this tumour is not clear: probably the carcinoma arose from normal epidermis carried in the extrapleural cavity during multiple air-refills to maintain the therapeutic pneumothorax.

Key Words: Pleura • Pneumothorax • Carcinoma