Emergent salvage surgery for massive hemoptysis after proton beam therapy for lung cancer: a case report

BACKGROUND: Salvage surgery is an effective therapeutic option for patients experiencing relapses after chemoradiotherapy for advanced-stage lung cancer or after high-dose radiotherapy for early-stage lung cancer. We report a case involving an emergent salvage surgery for a patient with massive hemoptysis who developed lung cancer recurrence after undergoing proton beam therapy 7 years prior to presentation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70-year-old male patient was emergently admitted due to massive hemoptysis. He had undergone proton beam therapy for a stage I adenocarcinoma of the left upper lobe 7 years ago, and was receiving chemotherapy for local recurrence. We performed an emergent salvage pulmonary resection to achieve hemostasis. During the operation, we confirmed the presence of a left broncho-pulmonary arterial fistula, which was considered as the origin of the massive hemoptysis. We repaired the fistula between the pulmonary artery and left upper bronchus without incident; an orifice of the fistula at the left pulmonary artery was sutured using a non-absorbable monofilament, and the central portion of the orifice of the fistula at the left upper bronchus was closed with a mechanical stapling device. The postoperative diagnosis was of an adenocarcinoma—ypT3(pm1) N0M1a (dissemination)-IVA, ef1b. The patient has survived for over a year with the cancer in almost complete remission following the administration of an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: Emergent salvage surgery demands high skill levels with optimal timing and correct patient selection. Our case suggested that the procedure played an important role in controlling serious bleeding and/or infectious conditions. Consequently, he could receive chemotherapy again and survive for over a year. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40792-021-01177-9.