There is a discreet, rounded mass located in the right lower lobe of the lung. Histologically, the mass contains benign cartilagenous and epithelial elements along with fibrovascular tissue. This is the typical appearance for a pulmonary hamartoma. These lesions rarely reach more than 3 to 4 cm in size. A hamartoma is a neoplasm composed of mature but disorganized tissues normally found at a particular site, but forming a mass lesion. Hamartomas of the lung are a type of radiographic "coin lesion" with a differential diagnosis of peripheral bronchogenic carcinoma, metastatic carcinoma, and granuloma. The cartilagenous nature of hamartomas makes fine needle aspiration difficult, with the needle bouncing off as though the lesion were a ping-pong ball.
| Our winner is: Professor Xiao Long Ji of Beijing, CHINA
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