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Cancer Stories
Search by cancer type, stage, biomarker or treatment to find people who've been exactly where you are.
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A 65-year-old man with a 20-year history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was admitted after suddenly coughing up a large amount of blood. Two months earlier, enhanced CT had shown a tumor in the right upper lung, and biopsy confirmed squamous cell carcinoma. The cancer was staged as T2bNXM1c1, consistent with Stage IV disease. He received 2 cycles of albumin-bound paclitaxel, nedaplatin, and tislelizumab. Follow-up CT showed partial remission of the tumor with cavitation, meaning the tumor had shrunk and developed a hollowed area. He then arrived at the hospital with massive hemoptysis. He was hemodynamically stable but had coughed up about 200 mL of blood and had oxygen saturation of 93%. Lab tests showed anemia, high white blood cell count, elevated neutrophils, and high C-reactive protein. Emergency CT angiography identified the cause of bleeding: a pseudoaneurysm in the right upper pulmonary artery located along the wall of the squamous-cell carcinoma cavity, with intraluminal hematoma. The bronchial and non-bronchial systemic arteries were not significantly enlarged. Interventional radiology performed emergency endovascular treatment through the right femoral vein. A catheter was advanced into the right upper pulmonary artery, and microcoils were deployed to occlude the pseudoaneurysm and its proximal artery. Post-procedure angiography confirmed disappearance of the pseudoaneurysm. He had no active bleeding after the procedure, and 6 months of follow-up showed no recurrence of hemoptysis. A CT scan 3 months after embolization showed absorption of the tumor cavity and significant tumor reduction. Follow-up focused on recovery from bleeding and continued monitoring of the reduced tumor.
This is a lay summary of an account first published by PMC / PubMed Central. Read the original in full
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These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer