[Recurrent left lung atelectasis caused by an endobronchial metastasis of a colon cancer: report of one case].

Endobronchial location of metastases is uncommon. We report an 83 year-old woman with a history of a left hemicolectomy due to tubular colon adenocarcinoma, three years ago. She consulted in the emergency room for progressive dyspnea, cough an mucous sputum. There was abolition of breath sounds and dullness in the left hemithorax. Chest X ray examination showed a complete opacity of the left lung. She was treated as a pneumonia and her left lung expanded again. Three weeks later, left lung atelectasis relapsed. A bronchial biopsy showed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, compatible with colon adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the colonic origin of the tumor. The patient rejected radiotherapy and is alive after 11 months of follow up.