Pulmonary tumourlet
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Yuranga Weerakkody had no recorded disclosures.
View Yuranga Weerakkody's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Arlene Campos had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Arlene Campos's current disclosures- Pulmonary tumourlets
- Pulmonary tumorlets
- Pulmonary tumorlet
- Lung tumourlet
- Lung tumourlets
- Lung tumorlet
- Lung tumorlets
Pulmonary tumourlets refer to a type of neuroendocrine cell proliferation in the lung. They are at the benign end of the spectrum of neuroendocrine cell proliferation when diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH) breaches the basement membrane but remains <5 mm in diameter.
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Epidemiology
There is a recognised female predilection. Tumourlets are generally encountered in patients around 60 to 70 years of age 2.
Clinical presentation
Most patients tend to be asymptomatic at diagnosis.
Pathology
They are thought to represent tiny peripheral pulmonary carcinoids that differ mainly in size from the larger lesions identified as carcinoid tumours with which they share histological, ultrastructural, and immunohistochemical features. Due to this, they are also called pulmonary carcinoid tumourlets by some authors 4. Tumourlets are usually defined as lesions <5 mm in diameter. They are often multiple.
Tumourlets also lack mitotic activity and do not show necrosis 5.
Associations
They often occur in association with airway damage, emphysema and fibrosis.
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Radiographic features
CT
Pulmonary tumourlets may be seen as small pulmonary nodules and mosaic attenuation secondary to air trapping on CT.
References
- 1. Koo C, Baliff J, Torigian D, Litzky L, Gefter W, Akers S. Spectrum of Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cell Proliferation: Diffuse Idiopathic Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cell Hyperplasia, Tumorlet, and Carcinoids. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2010;195(3):661-8. doi:10.2214/AJR.09.3811 - Pubmed
- 2. Ginsberg MS, Akin O, Berger DM et-al. Pulmonary tumorlets: CT findings. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2004;183 (2): 293-6. AJR Am J Roentgenol (full text) - Pubmed citation
- 3. Armbruster C, Bernhardt K, Setinek U. Pulmonary Tumorlet: A Case Report of a Diagnostic Pitfall in Cytology. Acta Cytol. 2008;52(2):223-7. doi:10.1159/000325487 - Pubmed
- 4. Kuo C, Ho W, Lin C, Hwang M. Pulmonary Carcinoid Tumor--Tumorlet Type: A Case Report. Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi (Taipei). 1995;55(4):339-42. - Pubmed
- 5. He P, Gu X, Wu Q et-al. Pulmonary carcinoid tumorlet without underlying lung disease: analysis of its relationship to fibrosis. J Thorac Dis.;4 (6): 655-8. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2012.06.11 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
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