Primary pulmonary T-cell lymphoma with lung adenocarcinoma: a case report

BACKGROUND: Primary pulmonary T-cell lymphoma is an extremely rare disease that is characterized by neoplastic proliferation of T-cell lymphocytes in the lung. CASE PRESENTATION: An 88-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea. She was treated with antibiotics for chest x-ray findings of consolidation in the upper and middle lobes of the right lung. However, her condition worsened and progressed to respiratory failure, which led to death 14 days after admission. Autopsy of the lungs revealed both T-cell lymphoma and adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Our patient had a rare case of primary pulmonary T-cell lymphoma with primary lung adenocarcinoma. Further evidence and accumulation of case reports are required to clarify the pathophysiology of primary pulmonary T-cell lymphoma.