Medical image of the week: squamous cell carcinoma presenting as an endobronchial mass

A 65 year old woman with previously diagnosed emphysema presented with two weeks of worsening dyspnea on exertion. CT scan of the chest showed a 14mm x 12mm irregular endobronchial lesion (arrow) occluding the bronchus intermedius. Right-sided compensatory “ball-valve” emphysematous changes are noted. Right posterior atelectasis is also seen. Endobronchial biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma. The patient later underwent palliative argon plasma coagulation (APC) therapy with removal of the tumor (Figure 2) with re-expansion of the right middle lobe.