Xin Lanying Case from Ejin Banner, Inner Mongolia, July 5, 1998

Xin Lanying Case from Ejin Banner, Inner Mongolia, July 5, 1998

During the Wu Yin spring, Xin Lanying, a middle school teacher in Inner Mongolia, presented with a 3 cm × 4 cm shadow in the lower lobe of her left lung, accompanied by blood-streaked sputum and chest tightness with coughing, persisting for over a year. Tumor marker tests were negative, and six sputum cytology examinations were also negative, indicating a nearly year-long disease course. Upon examination, the density of the lesion was not deep, and the spiculation was atypical, leading me to conclude that it was an inflammatory pseudotumor. After one month of antibiotic treatment, the pulmonary shadow faded, and the coughing eased. The radiology department noted that the pulmonary mass remained undetermined, advising follow-up in one month. However, due to her children’s exams, she failed to return for the scheduled checkup. A phone call revealed that her condition had not fully resolved, with intermittent coughing, fever, or slight hemoptysis. One year later, she returned for a biopsy, confirming lung cancer—a highly differentiated adenocarcinoma. From now on, such cases should be handled with utmost caution!