An intrapulmonary chondromatous hamartoma penetrating the visceral pleura: report of a case.

A 65-year-old woman had been followed up for a hamartoma-like mass in the right upper lobe of the lung since 1995. A follow-up CT scan showed an increase in the size of the lesion and a new lesion next to the old mass, which was highly suspected to be lung cancer. A right upper lobectomy was thus performed in May 2000. The hamartoma penetrated the visceral pleura, and adhered to the mediastinal pleura. Such a growing hamartoma with pleural invasion has so far rarely been previously reported.