Autopsy case of a patient with rapidly progressive combined small‐cell lung carcinoma with spindle‐shaped cell tumor

Abstract A 69‐year‐old Japanese man visited our hospital because of worsening shortness of breath. His chest computed tomography (CT) showed a giant left lung mass with a massive left pleural effusion. He could not be treated with chemotherapy and eventually died from a rapidly progressive tumor. He was diagnosed with combined small cell lung carcinoma (C‐SCLC) with spindle‐shaped cell tumor at autopsy. C‐SCLC is characterized by pathologically concurrent SCLC and adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, or rarely, spindle‐shaped cell tumor. The clinical course of C‐SCLC with spindle‐shaped cell tumor has not previously been determined. Our patient's tumor increased by 2.59‐fold in 20 days. The combination of C‐SCLC with spindle‐shaped cell tumor suggested rapid progression and a poor prognosis.