CLEAR CELL "SUGAR" TUMOR OF THE LUNG: BENIGN OR MALIGNANT?

Clear cell “sugar” tumors (CCST) of the lung are rare pulmonary tumors. This case study illustrates a patient who was found to have a persistent nodule in the left upper lobe of the lung. Positron Emission Tomographic scanning (PET) showed mild-moderate FDG (18Fluorodeoxyglucose) uptake. Based on these findings, a video assisted resection of the tumor was undertaken. The mass was identified histologically, as a clear cell “sugar” tumor of the lung. This case report discusses the benign versus malignant nature of this rare tumor. Purpose (a): Purpose of this study was to present a case study describing the presentation of a very rare lung tumor, a sugar cell clear cell tumor. There have only been around 50 reported cases. Our hope is to educate primary care physicians about this tumor. Methods (b): The main method used was conducting full literature search to look for the same tumor and compare and contrast the different presentations. We also searched for articles describing how benign and malignant lung tumors present so that we can differentiate this tumor from others. Results (c): Our results found that the patient's tumor is overall benign, but because sugar cell tumors are so hard to diagnose and differentiate from malignant tumors, the best treatment is surgical excision. Conclusions (d): Sugar cell tumors are rare benign lung tumors. Due to the difficulty with diagnosing this particular type of tumor, surgical excision is both diagnostic and curative.