A Woman in Her 60s With Lung Adenocarcinoma Presents With Copious Watery Sputum and Respiratory Failure

Chest. 2017 Dec;152(6):e143-e146. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2017.07.011.

Abstract

A woman in her 60s presented with 1 month of progressive dyspnea, watery rhinorrhea, and paroxysmal cough productive of clear, watery sputum. She was diagnosed with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive lung adenocarcinoma at another institution 1 week prior to presentation and 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms. She was a never-smoker. She denied fevers and had completed a course of antibiotics for presumed pneumonia, without clinical improvement. She presented to the hospital due to increasing severity of her shortness of breath.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / complications
  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnosis*
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung
  • Bronchoalveolar Lavage
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / complications
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Middle Aged
  • Radiography, Thoracic
  • Respiratory Insufficiency / diagnosis
  • Respiratory Insufficiency / etiology*
  • Sputum / chemistry*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed