Diagnosis of a patient with pulmonary and skeletal cryptococcosis: A case report and literature review.

Cryptococcosis is an invasive mycosis and can disseminate an infection in immunocompromised hosts. The main sites of infection include the central nervous system and lungs; skeletal infections are rarely reported. We describe the case of a Chinese man in his early 40s with a 1-year history of dermatomyositis and prolonged use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. During re-examination of a previously discovered pulmonary nodule, lung computed tomography revealed that the nodule had grown in size, and a bone scan revealed local bone abnormalities and mass formation in the left scapula. The initial diagnosis was lung cancer with bone metastasis; therefore, both lesions were resected. The final histopathological diagnosis was disseminated cryptococcosis. This case presents a rare and atypical manifestation of pulmonary and skeletal cryptococcosis. Thus, cryptococcal infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients presenting with immune insufficiency.