TY - JOUR
T1 - Pitfalls in oncology
T2 - A unique case of thoracic splenosis mimicking malignancy in a patient with resected breast cancer
AU - Gelsomino, Francesco
AU - Castellani, Maria Rita
AU - Marchianò, Alfonso
AU - Duca, Matteo
AU - Mariani, Paola
AU - Aliberti, Gianluca
AU - Maccauro, Marco
AU - Duranti, Leonardo
AU - Capri, Giuseppe
AU - De Braud, Filippo Guglielmo
AU - Bianchi, Giulia Valeria
PY - 2016/6/1
Y1 - 2016/6/1
N2 - Thoracic splenosis (TS) is a condition of autotransplantation of splenic tissue into the pleural cavity after thoraco-abdominal trauma, with diaphragmatic and spleen injury. It is usually asymptomatic and discovered as an incidental finding at imaging performed for other reasons. Its differential diagnosis regards different benign and malignant conditions and should be discerned avoiding invasive procedures. We report a case of thoracic mass associated with pleural nodules mimicking malignancy in a patient with resected breast cancer for whom a diagnosis of TS was made early by using non-invasive methods. Briefly, we review the literature data on TS, comment concisely the possible implications of using invasive procedures and describe the current non-invasive techniques available. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of an accurate medical history collection, the role of the multidisciplinary board and their impact on treatment decision making. Finally, we conclude that clinical information and imaging would be the discriminating factors to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures.
AB - Thoracic splenosis (TS) is a condition of autotransplantation of splenic tissue into the pleural cavity after thoraco-abdominal trauma, with diaphragmatic and spleen injury. It is usually asymptomatic and discovered as an incidental finding at imaging performed for other reasons. Its differential diagnosis regards different benign and malignant conditions and should be discerned avoiding invasive procedures. We report a case of thoracic mass associated with pleural nodules mimicking malignancy in a patient with resected breast cancer for whom a diagnosis of TS was made early by using non-invasive methods. Briefly, we review the literature data on TS, comment concisely the possible implications of using invasive procedures and describe the current non-invasive techniques available. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of an accurate medical history collection, the role of the multidisciplinary board and their impact on treatment decision making. Finally, we conclude that clinical information and imaging would be the discriminating factors to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures.
KW - Breast cancer
KW - Pleural nodules
KW - Radionuclide scan
KW - Thoracic mass
KW - Thoracic splenosis (TS)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84971595615&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84971595615&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.21037/jtd.2016.04.54
DO - 10.21037/jtd.2016.04.54
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84971595615
VL - 8
SP - E403-E407
JO - Journal of Thoracic Disease
JF - Journal of Thoracic Disease
SN - 2072-1439
IS - 6
ER -