Pleuropulmonary blastoma: a rare clinical image

Ashwin Karnan

PAMJ. 2024; 48:3. Published 02 May 2024 | doi:10.11604/pamj.2024.48.3.43295

A 13-year-old boy presented to the outpatient department with complaints of breathing difficulty for the past 2 months. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thorax showed a solid cystic mass lesion in the right hemithorax of size 8.9 x 10.7 cm with mild pleural effusion with mass effect shifting the major vessels to the left side. Computed tomography-guided biopsy was done which showed variable thickened nodule-like areas with both single cells and cohesive aggregates with positive stains for vimentin and cytokeratin. A diagnosis of pleuropulmonary blastoma was made. The patient underwent surgical resection and is currently on follow-up. Pleuropulmonary blastomas are rare and aggressive childhood intrathoracic tumors common in children less than 6 years of age. It may be of three types- type I (cystic), type II (mixed), or type III (solid). Clinical presentation includes shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and hemoptysis. Tumor size >5 cm with pleural or mediastinal invasion has a poor prognosis. Surgical resection, postoperative radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are available.
Corresponding author
Ashwin Karnan, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha, Maharashtra, India (ashwin2700@gmail.com)


The Pan African Medical Journal (ISSN: 1937-8688) is a subsidiary of the Pan African Medical Journal. The contents of this journal is intended exclusively for professionals in the medical, paramedical and public health and other health sectors.

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