BENIGN LUNG TUMORS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH MALIGNANT TUMORS

Abstract

Benign lung tumors are rare and it is reported in literature that metachronous or synchronous malignities can accompany benign tumors. In this study, the medical records of patients who underwent operations due to benign tumors and were found to have accompanying malignancies in our clinics between 1990 and 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 66 patients with benign tumors, 35 were male and 31 were female. The most commonly encountered cases in our series were hamartomas, sclerosing hemangiomas and inflammatory pseudotumors. In total, 13 (19.7%) of these benign tumors were accompanied by malignancies. Of these, 10 were present with pulmonary malignancies while the remaining three were accompanied by extrapulmonary malignancies. Of the 10 benign tumors that were detected with the pulmonary malignancies: six were of unknown origin, two were epithelial and two were of mesenchymal origin. In four patients with benign tumors, we detected either synchronous or metachronous secondary and tertiary primary carcinomas. In our series, tumors of unknown origin were particularly common. Tumors of unknown origin were found to accompany malignancy more than tumors of epitheloid or mesenchymal origin. It is worth noting that sclerosing hemangiomas were frequently found to be associated with extrapulmonary malignancies, while hamartomas were often present with pulmonary malignancies. Benign tumors located in the left lobes of the lung, especially hamartomas, were coupled with malignancies more commonly. It is essential that patients with benign lung tumors, especially those with hamartomas, should be examined for accompanying malignancies and undergo regular monitoring.