17317              SARCOMA OF LUNG

The patient was a woman aged 73.  Nine months previously there was intermittent haemoptysis and a carcinoma of the bronchus was diagnosed and was treated by radiotherapy.  On her final admission there was progressive breathlessness, a productive cough and considerable loss of weight.  At postmortem a rounded tumour was found in the right upper lobe.  Lymph notes at the tracheal bi-furcation were apparently involved.

The specimen is of this right lung sectioned to show a rounded encapsulated tumour 5 x 4 cms in the anterior segment of the upper lobe.  The cut surface is slightly irregular with a whorled appearance in which there are some myxomatous areas and a few areas of cell degeneration.  A large mass of partly organising thrombus is present in the pulmonary artery at the hilum and there is a small area of ischaemic infarction lying beneath the pleura on the posterior surface of the lower lobe.

Histology shows a sarcoma composed of large spindle cells growing in interlacing bundles.  There are many tumour giant cells.  It is possible that is secondary to an occult primary tumour in bone.  Old ischaemic partly organised infarction in the lower lobe is confirmed.