Journal: Seminars in respiratory and critical care medicine
This review addresses the diagnostic challenge posed by alveolar infiltrates, a nonspecific radiologic finding that can mask underlying malignancies.
It highlights a spectrum of neoplastic diseases presenting with alveolar radiographic patterns, including:
- Primary lung cancers such as lepidic-predominant adenocarcinoma and invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma
- Pulmonary lymphoma
- Certain metastatic tumors like renal cell carcinoma, gastrointestinal cancers, melanoma, and breast cancer
The article also covers secondary and paraneoplastic conditions that mimic these infiltrates, such as:
- Immune-mediated pneumonitis
- Eosinophilic pneumonia
- Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage
Emphasis is placed on clinical presentation, imaging features, diagnostic strategies, and distinguishing characteristics to differentiate malignant causes from infectious or inflammatory ones.
Summary tables aid in practical clinical differentiation, underscoring the importance of early recognition to avoid misdiagnosis and treatment delays.