A Case of Pulmonary Hamartoma Showing Rapid Growth

Abstract EN

A 65-year-old man was admitted for detailed examination of a growing nodular shadow in the left lung.

The nodular shadow was initially detected in a routine chest X-ray check-up in March 2012 that warranted regular chest X-ray follow-up.

The nodular shadow increased in size from 12 × 15 mm to 15 × 20 mm within five months.

The calculated tumor doubling time (TDT) in our case was approximately 132.2 days.

A malignant tumor was strongly suspected based on the rapid growth, and tumorectomy was thus performed.

Cartilaginous tissue accounted for most of the pathological specimen, but a small amount of an epithelial component was observed histologically, and we diagnosed a hamartoma.

Hamartoma generally shows slow annual growth, but it is important to recognize that rapid enlargement occurs in some cases.