Three cases of resected pleomorphic carcinoma.

Pleomorphic carcinoma (PC) is a rare malignancy of the lung. We present 3 cases that were resected. Case 1: The patient was a 75-year-old asymptomatic man whose chest roentgenogram showed a cavity at the right apex. A right upper lobectomy was performed, and the pathological stage was IB (pT2N0M0). After 3 courses of adjuvant chemotherapy, he is alive without relapse 56 months after the operation. Case 2: The patient was a 60-year-old man with left high back pain whose chest roentgenogram showed a mass shadow in the left upper lung field. A left upper lobectomy with partial resection of S6 was performed after induction chemotherapy. The pathological stage was IIIA (pT2N2M0). He died of infection 4 months after the operation during adjuvant chemotherapy. Case 3: A 78-year-old man with hemoptysis underwent aortic arch replacement after a diagnosis of impending rupture of an aortic aneurysm. During the operation, a tumor in the left upper lung lobe was detected. A left upper division segmentectomy was performed one month later. The pathological stage was IIB (pT3N0M0). Despite adjuvant radiotherapy, the patient died of cancer 9 months after the segmentectomy. The final pathological diagnoses for all 3 cases were PC. More cases of PC should be reported to establish optimal management.