Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Lung: Two Progressing Pulmonary Nodules in a 25-Year-Old Adult With a Moraxella catharalis Infection.

Abstract

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the lung is a rare pulmonary lesion of intermediate biologic potential. Approximately half of all inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors show a rearrangement of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene locus with potentially aberrant kinase expression. We present a 25-year-old man with recurrent exertional hemoptysis and two progressing pulmonary nodules in the right lung shown by computed tomography. After an anterolateral thoracotomy, pathologic studies revealed an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor with rearrangement in the ALK gene, although aberrant expression of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase was not detected. In preoperative bronchial washings Moraxella catharalis was found.