Right Upper Lobe Lung Cancer with Rib Metastasis

History: Middle aged man with a history of smoking, cough, and chest pain. 

Lung Cancer – Frontal and lateral radiographs of the chest reveal a spiculated mass within the right upper lobe of the lung (yellow arrow). On the contralateral side, there is a soft tissue mass within a rib (red arrow), concerning for metastasis.

This is a case of Lung Cancer with a metastasis to the contralateral ribs. Any spiculated lung mass in a patient with a history of smoking should be considered lung cancer until proven otherwise. Read this article here regarding the differential diagnosis of a lung mass.

Many thanks to Dr. Pilar Rodríguez Pérez from Spain for submitting this case!

This patient’s lung cancer metastasized to his skull. 

Correlation between smoking and lung cancer in US males, showing a 20-year time lag between increased smoking rates and increased incidence of lung cancer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)