Airway leech infestation masquerading as a tumor: a rare case report
Airway obstruction is a ventilatory dysfunction caused by internal and external diseases of the respiratory tract, which is usually considered a life-threatening clinical emergency. Traditionally, airway obstruction can be caused by respiratory tumors, trauma, and foreign bodies, among which tumors...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Oncology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1572523/full |
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| author | Pengyu Li Xianmeng Chen Wanling Chen Yunchao Huang Yunchao Huang Xiangxiu Tan Ying Chen Ying Chen |
| author_facet | Pengyu Li Xianmeng Chen Wanling Chen Yunchao Huang Yunchao Huang Xiangxiu Tan Ying Chen Ying Chen |
| author_sort | Pengyu Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Airway obstruction is a ventilatory dysfunction caused by internal and external diseases of the respiratory tract, which is usually considered a life-threatening clinical emergency. Traditionally, airway obstruction can be caused by respiratory tumors, trauma, and foreign bodies, among which tumors are the most common. Consequently, physicians may prioritize tumor-related diagnoses, potentially leading to the misdiagnosis of rare non-neoplastic conditions. Here, we report a case of a 61-year-old adult traveler who initially presented with mild dyspnea and a bronchial space-occupying lesion on a CT scan, raising suspicion of an airway tumor. However, further examination confirmed the diagnosis of a living leech infestation in the bronchus, resulting from a trip to Laos. This case highlights the importance of thorough history-taking and critical thinking in clinical diagnosis, urging physicians to avoid overreliance on intuition or experience alone. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cc6effee28f941eebb1b015af886eb8c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2234-943X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Oncology |
| spelling | doaj-art-cc6effee28f941eebb1b015af886eb8c2025-08-20T03:45:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oncology2234-943X2025-06-011510.3389/fonc.2025.15725231572523Airway leech infestation masquerading as a tumor: a rare case reportPengyu Li0Xianmeng Chen1Wanling Chen2Yunchao Huang3Yunchao Huang4Xiangxiu Tan5Ying Chen6Ying Chen7Thoracic Department I, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan (Yunnan Cancer Hospital), Kunming, ChinaThoracic Department I, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan (Yunnan Cancer Hospital), Kunming, ChinaThoracic Department I, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan (Yunnan Cancer Hospital), Kunming, ChinaThoracic Department I, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan (Yunnan Cancer Hospital), Kunming, ChinaNortheast Yunnan Central Hospital of Kunming Medical University Thoracic Department, Northeast Yunnan Central Hospital, Zhaotong, ChinaThoracic Department I, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan (Yunnan Cancer Hospital), Kunming, ChinaThoracic Department I, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan (Yunnan Cancer Hospital), Kunming, ChinaNortheast Yunnan Central Hospital of Kunming Medical University Thoracic Department, Northeast Yunnan Central Hospital, Zhaotong, ChinaAirway obstruction is a ventilatory dysfunction caused by internal and external diseases of the respiratory tract, which is usually considered a life-threatening clinical emergency. Traditionally, airway obstruction can be caused by respiratory tumors, trauma, and foreign bodies, among which tumors are the most common. Consequently, physicians may prioritize tumor-related diagnoses, potentially leading to the misdiagnosis of rare non-neoplastic conditions. Here, we report a case of a 61-year-old adult traveler who initially presented with mild dyspnea and a bronchial space-occupying lesion on a CT scan, raising suspicion of an airway tumor. However, further examination confirmed the diagnosis of a living leech infestation in the bronchus, resulting from a trip to Laos. This case highlights the importance of thorough history-taking and critical thinking in clinical diagnosis, urging physicians to avoid overreliance on intuition or experience alone.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1572523/fullleech infestationrespiratory tumorairwaythoraciccase report |
| spellingShingle | Pengyu Li Xianmeng Chen Wanling Chen Yunchao Huang Yunchao Huang Xiangxiu Tan Ying Chen Ying Chen Airway leech infestation masquerading as a tumor: a rare case report Frontiers in Oncology leech infestation respiratory tumor airway thoracic case report |
| title | Airway leech infestation masquerading as a tumor: a rare case report |
| title_full | Airway leech infestation masquerading as a tumor: a rare case report |
| title_fullStr | Airway leech infestation masquerading as a tumor: a rare case report |
| title_full_unstemmed | Airway leech infestation masquerading as a tumor: a rare case report |
| title_short | Airway leech infestation masquerading as a tumor: a rare case report |
| title_sort | airway leech infestation masquerading as a tumor a rare case report |
| topic | leech infestation respiratory tumor airway thoracic case report |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1572523/full |
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