Lung cancer implantation in the chest wall following percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy

Abstract

We describe a 70-year-old man with lung cancer implantation in the chest wall following percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy. He underwent lobectomy after percutaneous transthoracic fine needle aspiration biopsy using a 19-gauge needle. Twenty-six months after the biopsy, he noticed a hard subcutaneous tumor at the biopsy site in the chest wall. Ribs and intercostal muscles were resected. The primary lung tumor and the chest wall tumor were histologically identical, but were not contiguous to each other. We concluded that the subcutaneous tumor was due to needle biopsy implantation. This complication is extremely rare, but open biopsy should always be considered as a possible alternative. During the procedure, care must be taken with the least chance of implantation and patients should be observed carefully after needle biopsy.