Spontaneous pneumothorax following chemotherapy for metastatic germ cell tumor. A case report

ABSTRACT

We report on a 30-year-old man with metastatic non seminomatous germ cell tumor of the left testicle to the abdomen and the lungs, who suddenly developed a bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax after the first course of salvage chemotherapy. Rapid destruction and lysis of lung nodules by chemotherapy seem to be the main mechanism of pneumothorax development. According to our case report and to the literature, the onset of acute dyspnea after chemotherapy for lung metastatic germ cell tumor should alert to the possibility of spontaneous pneumothorax