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A 55-year-old man with pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease was referred to our hospital with dyspnea on exertion and general fatigue. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a nodular shadow with pleural indentation in the left S(1+2), left pleural effusion, and a thick-walled cavitary lesion due to pulmonary MAC disease in the right S1. A biopsy specimen of the nodule in the left S(1+2) revealed adenocarcinoma, which various examinations confirmed to be stage IV lung adenocarcinoma (T2aN0M1a) complicated with active pulmonary MAC disease. Anti-non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis (NTM) chemotherapy consisting of rifampicin, ethambutol, clarithromycin and streptomycin was administered to treat the pulmonary MAC disease, and the lung cancer was then treated with 4 courses of carboplatin/pemetrexed. This improved the patient's pulmonary MAC disease, and the lung cancer went into partial remission without severe adverse effects. Although a more detailed analysis of the drug interaction is required, we concluded that a combination of anti-NTM and carboplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy was safe and effective.

A 72-year-old man was referred to our hospital with complaints of cough, facial rash, proximal muscle pain and weakness. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a nodule in the right S6, interstitial pneumonia in bilateral lower lobes and mediastinal lymph node swelling. A biopsy specimen of the nodule revealed non-small cell lung carcinoma. Gottron's sign was noted on his hands, and elevated skeletal muscle enzymes were recognized. Based on clinical and histopathological examinations, the patient was given a diagnosis of dermatomyositis. He was treated with chemotherapy (carboplatin/paclitaxel) for lung cancer and his dermatomyositis was treated with steroids (1 mg/kg of prednisolone) for prolonged muscle pain and cough. Although both therapies were successful, he died of respiratory failure due to acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia. In the present case, we found that decreasing tumor size might be related to the activity level of skin and muscle symptoms, not interstitial pneumonia. A combination of 3 diseases is thought to be very rare, and we discussed the intercorrelation among lung cancer, dermatomyositis and interstitial pneumonia with a review of the literature.

A 75-year-old man had been given a diagnosis of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in March 2005. He had been treated with chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin and etoposide, and he had showed partial response to treatment. He presented with general fatigue, weakness of the muscles and extremities, skin lesions and finger erythema in April 2006. A muscle biopsy was performed and the pathological findings confirmed dermatomyositis. The findings of his chest X-ray and computed tomography showed an increase in the size of the lung cancer lesion. The tumor size decreased, and creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase levels also decreased after irinotecan chemotherapy. He was also given prednisolone (1 mg/kg) for prolonged muscle weakness. There are few cases which report dermatomyositis after a diagnosis of SCLC. In the present case, dermatomyositis appeared when the recurrence of SCLC became evident. We believed that the onset of dermatomyositis might be related to the activity level of SCLC.

We report a case of repeated hemoptysis successfully treated with bronchial artery embolization (BAE) with N-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA). A 75-year-old woman with non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis and pulmonary aspergillosis was admitted with recurrent hemoptysis despite repeated BAE. Considering the ineffectiveness of BAE with Spongel or polyvinyl alcohol, BAE with NBCA was selected. Immediate cessation of hemoptysis was obtained and it has not been seen for 2 years. Although NBCA is the most widely used liquid embolic material to treat brain aneurysm, arteriovenous malformations or gastric varices, there are only a few cases are reported in the treatment of hemoptysis. It seems to be a possible useful treatment for patients with repeated hemoptysis.

A 61-year-old man visited another hospital with chief complaints of dry cough, appetite loss and body weight loss. On chest X ray film and CT, right supraclavicular and mediastinal lymph nodes were swollen. For further examination, he was referred to our hospital and diagnosed as primary mediastinal choriocarcinoma. We conducted surgery after four cycles of chemotherapy using cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycin. After chemotherapy, residual tumors were found on chest CT. In FDG-PET some parts of the residual tumors seen on CT showed much less uptake and the others showed similar uptake. Histologically the areas showing similar uptake contained more viable cells, and the other areas showing less uptake almost completely consisted of necrotic tissue. We believe FDG-PET can be useful to evaluate the viability of tumors after chemotherapy in extra gonadal choriocarcinoma in the mediastinum.

A 64-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for further examination of an abnormal shadow in the left lung, that had grown slowly for 9 years. Bronchial brushing cytology was performed under bronchoscopy, but was negative for malignancy and for other significant findings. 11C-Choline-positron emission tomography (11C-Choline-PET) showed medium-level uptake in the mass lesion in the S 6 lobe of the left lung, but 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (18FDG-PET) did not yield any such result. These findings suggested the presence of a slowly growing benign tumor, or a neoplastic disease, such as a potentially malignant tumor or a low-grade malignancy. To arrive at a diagnosis, a left partial lobectomy was performed on January 29, 2001. The microscopic findings of this mass lesion showed a solid, hemorrhagic pattern; papillary projections into spaces covered or lined by cuboidal cells, and sheets of round to polygonal cells. The histological diagnosis of this tumor was a sclerosing hemangioma. Recently, 18FDG-PET has been proven to be a clinically useful tool for the detection and staging of malignant tumors, and the follow-up of malignant diseases after treatment; while 11C-choline was recently reported to be a new PET tracer used to visualize various malignancies. The uptake of 11C-choline in tumors represents the rate of tumor cell duplication. It is suggested that 11C-choline-PET may be useful in the diagnosis of sclerosing hemangioma, as in this case.

We report a case of eosinophilic pneumonia induced by Pelex granule. A 31-year-old male patient had been treated with Pelex granule and other drugs for common-cold symptoms such as cough and fever. Since these symptoms were persistent, he was admitted to our hospital for further examination. His laboratory findings showed eosinophilia and a mild elevation of serum IgE. Chest radiography revealed a reticular shadow and patchy shadows in both lung fields. Analysis of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) showed an increased percentage of eosinophils. The histological findings of the specimen obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy showed infiltration of eosniophils into the alveolar walls and spaces. After withdrawal of all drugs, the patient's clinical findings-symptoms, laboratory data, and chest radiographic findings-soon improved. A lymphocyte stimulation test (LST) for Pelex granule was positive. Taken together, the case was diagnosed as eosinophilic pneumonia induced by Pelex granule.