Second primary lung carcinoma.

Long-term survivors with bronchogenic carcinoma represent only a small fraction of the overall population affected with this disease. Therefore, the occurrence of a second primary lung carcinoma is a rare event and can be diagnosed either simultaneously, or, more frequently, sequentially. A review of the literature disclosed a median interval of five years between metachronous lesions with a range of 0 to 16 years. We thus consider it of interest to report a case in which 17 years had elapsed between the first tumor, successfully treated by a lobectomy, and the diagnosis of a second primary tumor located in the contralateral lung. The literature on second primary lung tumors is reviewed and the histopathological aspects, as well as the therapeutic implications, of this relatively rare condition are discussed.