Lung cancer surgery after COVID-19 infection in a patient with severe interstitial pneumonia and restrictive ventilatory impairment

BACKGROUND: The spread of COVID-19 infection increased the number of patients who underwent pulmonary resection for lung cancer after COVID-19 infection. It is unclear how previous infection with COVID-19 affects perioperative complications and acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia after surgery in patients with interstitial pneumonia. CASE PRESENTATION: An 80-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of a tumor in his left lung. Chest computed tomography showed a 28-mm nodule in the lower lobe of the left lung and usual interstitial pneumonia in bilateral lungs. Bronchoscopic examination was performed, which diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma. Pulmonary function testing revealed restrictive ventilatory impairment, and we planned to perform basal segmentectomy of the left lung. However, before the planned surgery, the patient contracted symptomatic COVID-19. Chest computed tomography revealed ground-glass opacities owing to COVID-19. The patient was admitted for surgery 7 weeks after COVID-19 infection. Preoperatively, pulmonary function testing was repeated, which revealed decreased % vital capacity (%VC) and % diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (%DLco). The 6-min walk test indicated a distance of 500 m, and the percutaneous oxygen saturation at the end of the test was 94%. Basal segmentectomy of the left lung was performed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The patient’s postoperative course was favorable, and he was discharged without the need for oxygen inhalational therapy 12 days after the surgery. Pathological examination of the resected specimen revealed usual interstitial pneumonia in the non-cancerous areas of the lung. Additionally, the infiltration of immature fibroblasts in the alveoli and perivascular infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed, which were consistent with fibrotic change after inflammation owing to COVID-19. Three months after the surgery, the patient was alive without recurrence or acute exacerbation of the interstitial pneumonia. Pulmonary function testing 6 weeks after surgery revealed decreased %VC and %DLco. Testing 12 weeks after surgery revealed persistently decreased %VC and improved %DLco (Table 1). CONCLUSION: We successfully performed basal segmentectomy of the left lung for lung cancer 7 weeks after COVID-19 infection in a patient with severe interstitial pneumonia and restrictive ventilatory impairment.