Case Report: Pulmonary Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma Presenting as a Solitary Pulmonary Nodule
Keywords:
Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma, Lung Neoplasms, Vascular Neoplasms, Thoracic Surgery, Neoplasm RecurrenceAbstract
Background: Pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare, highly vascularized tumor with variable clinical presentation including recurrence and metastases. The treatment is complicated by the lack of standardized guidelines along with differing responses to trialed treatments, leaving patients' prognosis unpredictable.
Case: We report a case of a 77-year-old man in whom a left, lower-lobe pulmonary nodule was incidentally discovered during pre-coronary artery bypass graft evaluation. Histopathology confirmed epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. A year later, a recurrence with a right lower-lobe lesion and numerous scattered lesions was identified and resected, confirming metastatic/recurrent epithelioid hemangioendothelioma.
Conclusion: This case emphasizes the importance of long-term surveillance in pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma due to the potential for delayed recurrence as well as the need for more research to investigate a standardized, yet customizable, approach for better patient outcomes.
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