Pulmonary Nodule in a Patient with Oral and Lung Cancer: Cryptococcus Infection

Abstract

Pulmonary nodules are frequently considered to be a metastatic disease or primary lung tumors in oral cancer patients. We present a case of pulmonary cryptococcosis in a 68-year-old man with oral and lung cancer. This lung cancer was treated with thoracoscopic resection of the right inferior lobe and mediastinal lymph node dissection. Lower gingival cancer was treated with a mandibulectomy, neck dissection, and reconstruction after chemoradiotherapy. A 20 mm cavitary nodule appeared at the left lung S6 one-month after surgery, during post-operative computed tomography. Thoracoscopic partial resection of the left inferior lobe was performed under the suspicion of lung metastasis. Pathology results revealed a pseudo-epithelial granuloma with necrosis and many yeast-shaped fungi with capsules. A pathological diagnosis of Cryptococcus infection was made. The patient was prescribed the antifungal agent fosfluconazole, which was administered intravenously for 1 week and intraoral fluconazole for 12 months. No recurrence of the Cryptococcus infection has been noted after 1.5 years.

Keywords

• pulmonary nodule
• oral cancer
• lung cancer
• cryptococcus infection
• antifungal agent