Pulmonary epithelioid trophoblastic tumor without a primary uterine lesion: a case report

Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT) is a rare malignant gestational trophoblastic neoplasm arising from the malignant transformation of chorionic-type intermediate trophoblastic cells, with important clinical implications, particularly regarding fertility-sparing management in selected patients. At present, most of the ETT cases reported in the literature are characterized by primary lesions of reproductive system origin, with or without distant metastasis. Here, we report a case of isolated pulmonary ETT without a primary uterine lesion. The patient underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) single-port right lower lobectomy. The postoperative pathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed pulmonary ETT. This article also reviews its clinical features, imaging manifestations, histopathological characteristics, and treatment options in the context of the literature, which helps to gain a deeper understanding of this rare isolated pulmonary ETT and provides new ideas for clinical diagnosis.