Silicone Granuloma Mimicking a Lymphatic Metastasis in a Lung Cancer Patient: A Case Report

Silicone granulomas are rare, benign lesions that may occur after breast augmentation. Occasionally, a careful differential diagnosis is necessary because lymphadenopathy or malignancy is suspected based on an imaging study. A 56-year-old woman who visited the hospital due to a lung nodule in the left upper lobe (LUL) underwent a staging work-up with the suspicion of lung cancer. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography and chest computed tomography revealed the LUL nodule and a lesion in the left internal mammary chain (IMC), suggesting lymphadenopathy. Diagnostic wedge resection was performed, followed by curative surgery. The final biopsy result confirmed that the LUL nodule was pathologic stage IB adenocarcinoma; unexpectedly, the lesion in the left IMC was a silicone granuloma.