Postoperative incision metastasis of lung cancer: A case report

Incisional recurrence, also known as metastasis to the surgical scar, is a relatively rare but serious complication following the surgical resection of lung cancer. Herein, we report a case of postoperative incision metastasis of lung cancer. A 75-year-old Han Chinese male patient was admitted upon discovery of a chest wall mass during a routine physical examination 3 months ago. The patient underwent a radical resection of left lower lobe lung cancer 12 years ago. Notably, he experienced left chest pain and discomfort during a routine examination 12 years postoperatively, leading to the discovery of a chest wall mass measuring 3.5 cm × 2.1 cm × 4.2 cm at the original incision site. Ultrasound-guided core biopsy confirmed the pathological diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma derived from the chest wall incision, and subsequent gene testing identified a SLC34A2-ROS1 (S4;R31) fusion gene mutation. After the patient underwent two cycles of chemotherapy, a re-examination of the chest computed tomography scan revealed that the mass on the chest wall had significantly shrunk. Subsequently, the patient underwent surgical resection of the chest wall mass. Postoperative pathology confirmed metastatic lung adenocarcinoma from the postoperative incision of lung cancer. The patient was discharged uneventfully and has not shown any obvious recurrence or metastasis during the 2-month follow-up. Improved prognosis of postoperative incisional metastasis of lung cancer is observed after timely comprehensive treatment.