[Clinical case of the month. Histological discovery of a lung cancer in an enormous emphysematous bulla].

The development of a lung cancer in young patients with emphysematous bullae is a classical, albeit rare, event. These patients can however be operated upon for the resection of a giant bulla causing respiratory distress. We report the case of a 41 year old male patient who was submitted to the resection of a giant right apical emphysematous bulla. The histopathological examination of the fragment revealed an undifferentiated lung carcinoma the diameter of which was less than one centimeter. This observation underlines the need for a systematic examination of the resected material and for a careful radiological follow-up of such patients.