Benign metastasizing leiomyoma of the lung: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Abstract. Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) is a rare event characterized by benign soft-tissue tumors that occur when uterine leiomyomas metastasize to the lung. The present study reports the case of a 47-year-old female patient who presented with multiple bilateral pulmonary nodules on a chest X-ray during a health checkup nine years after a hysterectomy due to uterine fibroids. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple well-defined nodular shadows in the lung. One tumor of the left upper lung was resected by thoracoscopic surgery. Pathologically, the resected lesion consisted of benign spindle cells and was diagnosed as BML. The post-operative course was uneventful. Other lung nodules have been meticulously monitored at follow-up, and repeat CT two years later showed that these nodules had not increased at all in size and that no new lobe nodules had appeared. The present study indicates that pulmonary BML occurs in a low proportion of female with a history of uterine leiomyoma and treatment methods for it are diverse and controversial.

Multiple organ benign metastasizing leiomyoma: A case report and literature review

“…Since the uterine leiomyoma is hormone‐dependent tumor (positive for ER and PR), hormonal therapy such as GnRH‐a, progesterone antagonists (mifepristone), selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERMs) and aromatase inhibitors should be recommended, especially for unresectable lung nodules or patients who prefer non‐surgical management. GnRH‐a and aromatase inhibitor were most commonly used and reported to reduce tumor burden in unresectable BML disease for those who declined surgical intervention . In addition, transcatheter arterial embolization is also an effective non‐surgical treatment for leiomyoma but the application for BML was not reported before.…”

Benign metastasizing leiomyoma and 18-FDG-PET/CT: A case report and literature review

“…Therefore, a literature review of prior case reports concerning patients with PBML and 18-FDG-PET/CT findings was conducted. In total, 34 cases were identified in 29 reports (3,. In addition to these 34 cases, the present two cases were added and a total of 36 cases of PBML were reviewed.…”

“…PBML is typically characterized by multiple pulmonary tumors containing benign leiomyoma cells (2). Patients are usually asymptomatic and the tumors grow gradually (3). In the present study, two cases of PBML are presented, each of which include the results of 2-deoxy-2-(fluorine-18)-fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18-FDG-PET/CT) scans.…”

Benign metastasising leiomyoma presenting with respiratory distress

“…Our case is remarkable for the extent of pulmonary involvement. In previous case reports which include imaging, patients may have diffuse, small, miliary lesions with no significant change in lung function,5 6 or a low-moderate number of moderate sized lesions 7–13. There are cases where a single, large lesion can be blamed for the patients’ symptoms8 14 15 and surgical resection can prove curative.…”