Abstract

LAMOT, Sebastián et al. Carcinomatosis linfática y embolismo tumoral pulmonar. Rev. am. med. respir. [online]. 2014, vol.14, n.2, pp.153-162. ISSN 1852-236X.

Lymphangitic carcinomatosis is a relatively uncommon disorder characterized by diffuse infiltration of the pulmonary lymphatics by metastatic cancer. It is a late manifestation of malignancy that implies bad prognosis. The diagnosis can be difficult and requires a high degree of suspicion. Microscopic pulmonary tumor embolism is the presence of multiple aggregates of tumor cells in the small pulmonary arteries, arterioles and septal capillaries. Occlusion of the pulmonary microvasculature by tumor cells and associated thrombi can produce a subacute and progressive clinical entity that resembles thromboembolic disease. Some imaging studies may help to define the diagnosis, especially the ventilation-perfusion lung scan and its typical pattern of multiple peripheral sub-segmental perfusion defects without ventilatory abnormalities or the angiography. Treatment for this entity has not been extensively studied, since the diagnosis is usually made postmortem. We provide a review of the literature about the evaluation and diagnosis of these two infrequent clinical entities.

Keywords : Lymphangitic carcinomatosis; Pulmonary tumor embolism; Pulmonary lymphatics.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )