Intravascular bronchioloalveolar tumor: a distinctive surgical and pathological entity.

A patient with intravascular bronchioloalveolar tumor is described, and the clinical and pathological characteristics of the tumor are discussed. So-called intravascular bronchioloalveolar tumor (IVBAT) is a relatively new, but well-recognized lung neoplasm. This tumor is a lung neoplasm of distinctive histogenesis newly incorporated into the World Health Organization histologic typing of lung tumors under the category "miscellaneous tumors, malignant." The importance of the neoplasm is that it is rarely recognized clinically and frequently misdiagnosed. Awareness of this lesion can be enhanced by recognizing its particular clinical presentation, surgical appearance, and unique histopathologic factors.