INTRAVASCULAR BRONCHIOLOALVEOLAR TUMOR OF THE LUNG PRESENTING AS PULMONARY THROMBOEMBOLIC DISEASE AND PULMONARY-HYPERTENSION

Intravascular bronchioloalveolar tumor, the pulmonary counterpart of e pithelioid hemangioendothelioma, typically presents as bilateral pulmo nary nodules in young women. We report a case of intravascular bronchi oloalveolar tumor that clinically mimicked acute pulmonary thromboembo lic disease initially and was subsequently proven to have pulmonary hy pertension with right ventricular dysfunction by angiography. The diag nosis of intravascular bronchioloalveolar tumor was confirmed by immun ohistochemical and ultrastructural studies after it was suspected on r outine histologic examination. In addition, the tumor cells expressed glycoprotein cell adhesion molecule CD44, which has been implicated in increased tumor invasiveness and metastasis in various carcinomas and several aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.