A complicated course of treatment in a patient with adenosquamous lung cancer

Adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) is a rare type of lung cancer. Surgery is of utmost importance for treatment, but in some cases leads to lifethreatening complications like postpneumonectomy empyema. This article aims to report a case of ASC with a dramatic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and subsequent right pneumonectomy, complicated by postpulmonectomy empyema, followed by accelerated treatment, open window thoracostomy, and a recurrence after 7 years. The presented case emphasizes the important role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in downstaging patients and the possibility of radical surgery with good long-term survival. The importance of capabilities to overcome postpneumonectomy empyema through accelerated treatment and open window thoracostomy is underlined.