SPLENIC METASTASIS FROM LUNG-CANCER

Splenic metastasis from lung cancer is a rare clinical event, most oft en diagnosed at the time of autopsy. We report 2 cases of splenic meta stasis with a primary lung cancer. The first case was a 76-year-old ma n presenting with a recurrent solitary splenic metastasis 14 months af ter surgical removal of a squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. The sec ond patient was a R-year-old woman who had a poorly differentiated car cinoma of the lung and multiple abdominal metastasis. We also investig ated 267 autopsy cases of lung cancer from 1975 to 1992. Histologicall y, there were 73 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 123 adenocarcinoma, 29 large cell carcinoma, 36 small cell carcinoma, and 7 other miscell aneous tumours. The number of splenic metastasis from lung cancer in t hese cases was 15 (5.6%). Splenic metastasis from a primary cancer of the left lung was more frequent than that from the right lung. Nine of 15 splenic metastases were smaller than 1 cm in size. Splenic metasta sis was associated with liver and pancreas metastasis. All 15 autopsy cases with splenic metastasis from lung cancer had other abdominal org an metastasis. Our analysis indicates that a solitary splenic metastas is is rare. Selection of a suitable therapeutic approach is important.