A rare case of bronchorrhea associated with lung adenocarcinoma

Yufei Wang; Qiaoning Zhu; Zihan Jin; Hongjing Wang; Sharan Zhang; Wei Liu

doi:10.54254/3049-5458/2025.30509

Abstract

Lung cancer currently ranks second in global incidence. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the main pathological type of lung cancer, accounting for approximately 80% to 85% of all lung cancer cases. Bronchorrhea is a disease found only in a small number of cancer patients, characterized by a large amount of non-purulent, watery sputum exceeding 100 ml per day. Bronchorrhea may be idiopathic or associated with various pulmonary diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, asthma or malignant tumors of the lung. At present, there is no unified and effective treatment plan for bronchorrhea, and the symptomatic treatments adopted have varying clinical efficacies. Given the rarity of this symptom, it should draw the attention of clinicians. This article will report a rare case of a patient with bronchorrhea related to lung adenocarcinoma, hoping to provide new insights for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of bronchorrhea.According to this case and related reports, several patients with lung adenocarcinoma develop bronchorrhea symptoms. Clinically, therapeutic measures taken during the "golden window" period may help prevent or slow down the onset of bronchorrhea in these patients. From a diagnostic perspective, the diagnostic process of this case is challenging.This case report emphasizes the importance of bronchoscopy and pathogen detection in distinguishing bronchorrhea from other conditions in patients with similar presentations.In terms of diagnosis, clinicians are reminded to consider the possibility of bronchorrhea as a rare symptom in patients who present with large amounts of thin watery sputum, especially if the patient is diagnosed with LUAD and is immunosuppressed. These findings suggest that chest CT could eventually be utilized to differentiate between pneumonia and bronchorrhea in the future.Clinicians should also be aware of patients’ immunosuppressive status. A remarkable number of patients with bronchorrhea are in an immunocompromised state, influencing the development, diagnosis, and treatment of bronchorrhea.Further case studies and research are essential to deepen comprehension and improve management strategies for patients with bronchorrhea associated with lung adenocarcinoma.

Keywords: bronchorrhea , lung adenocarcinoma , cancer , case report

Article Information

Received: 25 November 2025

Published: 16 December 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54254/3049-5458/2025.30509

Article Type: Research Article

Cite this article

Wang,Y.;Zhu,Q.;Jin,Z.;Wang,H.;Zhang,S.;Liu,W. (2025). A rare case of bronchorrhea associated with lung adenocarcinoma. Journal of Clinical Technology and Theory,3(3),95-100.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

About this Journal

Journal: Journal of Clinical Technology and Theory

Volume: Vol.3, Issue 3

ISSN: 3049-5458 (Print) / 3049-5466 (Online)

Copyright & License

[1]Siegel RL, Miller KD, Fuchs HE, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2021.CA Cancer J Clin. 2021; 71(1): 7-33. doi: 10.3322/caac.21654.

[2]Herbst R, Morgensztern D, Boshoff C. The biology and management of non-small cell lung cancer.Nature. 2018; 553(7689): 446-454. doi: 10.1038/nature25183.

[3]Cheng TY, Cramb SM, Baade PD, et al. The international epidemiology of lung cancer: latest trends, disparities, and tumor characteristics.J Thorac Oncol. 2016; 11(10): 1653-1671. doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2016.05.021.

[4]Bhagat M, Singh A, Bazzi T, et al. Bronchorrhea, a rare and debilitating symptom of lung cancer: case report and review of the treatment.JTO Clin Res Rep. 2022; 3(10): 100398. doi: 10.1016/j.jtocrr.2022.100398.

[5]Smyrnios NA, Irwin RS, Curley FJ. Chronic cough with a history of excessive sputum production.Chest.1995; 108(4): 991-997. doi: 10.1378/chest.108.4.991.

[6]Keal EE. Biochemistry and rheology of sputum in asthma.Postgrad Med J. 1971; 47(545): 171-177. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.47.545.171.

[7]Takata K, Kinoshita Y, Yoshimura M, et al. A case of invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma presenting with massive bronchorrhea.Respir Med Case Rep. 2024; 51: 102082. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2024.102082.

[8]Roeder NL, Marshall JD, Britto CJ. A woman in her 60s with lung adenocarcinoma presents with copious watery sputum and respiratory failure.Chest. 2017; 152(6): e143-e146. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2017.07.011.

[9]Ou GC, Luo W, Zhang WS, et al. Gefitinib improves severe bronchorrhea and prolongs the survival of a patient with lung invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma: a case report.World J Clin Cases. 2023; 11(2): 441-448. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i2.441.

[10]Hidaka N, Nagao K. Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma accompanied by severe bronchorrhea.Chest.1996; 110(1): 281-282. doi: 10.1378/chest.110.1.281.

[11]Nie K, Nie W, Zhang YX, et al. Comparing clinicopathological features and prognosis of primary pulmonary invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma based on computed tomography findings.Cancer Imaging.2019; 19: 47. doi: 10.1186/s40644-019-0236-2.

[12]Koo HJ, Kim MY, Koo JH, et al. Computerized margin and texture analyses for differentiating bacterial pneumonia and invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma presenting as consolidation.PLoS One. 2017; 12(5): e0177379. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177379.

[13]Rémi C, Rémi J, Bausewein C. Pharmacological management of bronchorrhea in malignant disease: a systematic literature review.J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016; 51(5): 916-925. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.12.335.

[14]Bhandari S, Sostin O, Shah A, et al. Octreotide as a novel agent for the management of bronchorrhea in mechanically ventilated patients: a case series and review of literature.Respir Med Case Rep. 2023; 45: 101891. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2023.101891.

[15]Kitazaki T, Soda H, Doi S, et al. Gefitinib inhibits MUC5AC synthesis in mucin-secreting non-small cell lung cancer cells.Lung Cancer. 2005; 50(1): 19-24.

[16]Tong J, Wang DX, Zhou ZY, et al. Successful treatment with osimertinib for nonmucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinoma with massive bronchorrhea and respiratory failure: a case report and literature review.Transl Cancer Res. 2023; 12(2): 427-433. doi: 10.21037/tcr-22-1853.

[17]Milton DT, Kris MG, Gomez JE, et al. Prompt control of bronchorrhea in patients with bronchioloalveolar carcinoma treated with gefitinib (Iressa).Support Care Cancer. 2005; 13(1): 70-72.