Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia

The lung cancer is one of the most important health problems all over the world. Early diagnosis is life-saving for patients because it is an aggressive cancer. Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia is defined as a form of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia stem from pulmonary reactions against injuries. An interesting case that mimics cancer radiologically will be presented in this study.

A 51-year-old male patient admitted to the our clinic with cough and sputum complaints. No pathological finding was detected and, there was no obvious pathology on chest X-ray. A solitary pulmonary nodule of 10 mm in size was detected in the lateral aspect of the left upper lobe of the left lung on CT. Solitary pulmonary nodule was reported as malignancy border involvement in FDG-PET. The nodule was excised completely with the help of VATS. The pathology of the patient was reported as cryptogenic organizing pneumonia.

Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia mimics many lung pathologies, most notably lung cancer. According to the symptoms and signs, clinicians should definitely rule out lung cancer if there is suspicion. Because a late diagnosis or delayed treatment of lung cancer reduces the life expectancy.