Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of the Right Lung in a Child: Clinical case

Abstract

Introduction. Lung cancer in children is an extremely rare pathology occurring in less than 0.2 % of all childhood tumors. The most frequently detected tumors are adenocarcinoma and carcinoid tumors, which are often diagnosed at late stages due to the lack of specific symptoms and difficulties in differential diagnosis. Materials and methods. The article presents a clinical case of invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung in a 9-year-old child. Results. The tumor was incidentally found during a chest computed tomography scan. Changes in the lungs were assessed as destructive pneumonia, for which the patient received long-term treatment resulted in clinical improvement. However, a control computed tomography scan revealed negative dynamics. Given the localization of changes in one lobe, the patient underwent an upper lobectomy with systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection after preoperative preparation. Histologically, the diagnosis was invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung. No specific antitumor treatment was administered. The patient is currently under dynamic observation without signs of relapse. Discussion. This clinical case demonstrates the problems of diagnosing lung cancer in children, as well as the problems of staging the disease and determining treatment tactics. Conclusion. The performed study emphasizes the need to develop clear clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in children, taking into account anatomical and physiological characteristics of the child’s body.