Pleuropulmonary Blastoma Developing in a Case of Misinterpreted Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation: a Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is a childhood malignancy known to be associated with congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM).

CASE REPORT: An 18 months boy presented with respiratory distress. Computed tomography (CT) scans revealed a large right-sided lung mass. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) showed sheets and clusters of small round to oval cells with scanty cytoplasm. The possibility of PPB was suggested. Trucut biopsy from the mass confirmed the diagnosis of PPB, of at least type II. The child had earlier been diagnosed as CPAM for which he had undergone lobectomy at six months, which on review was diagnosed as PPB I.

CONCLUSION: We describe the cytological and histological findings of a case of PPBII/III evolving from a PPB I originally thought to be a CPAM type IV. This supports the theory that PPB I may progress to a more aggressive type II with time, and highlights the importance of the adequately treating the PPB I to prevent this transformation.