What is pulmonary hamartoma?

Pulmonary hamartoma is one of the most common types of benign tumors that affect the lungs. It is a neoplasm that consists of connective tissues, fat, cartilage, bone and muscle. Men are most likely to get pulmonary hamartoma. As the condition is usually asymptomatic, it is found incidentally during the diagnosis of other conditions or diseases. Pulmonary hamartoma is difficult to differentiate from cancer. Some of its characteristics help the diagnostic procedure. For example, it has a ‘popcorn calcification’. During the imaging test, it will look like a popcorn.

What are the symptoms of pulmonary hamartoma?

In most cases, they are asymptomatic and found mostly during and imaging test for other conditions. However, some of the rare symptoms include:

• Cough that doesn’t go away

• Fever

• Wheezing

• Breathing issues like shortness of breath

What are the causes of pulmonary hamartoma?

Though it is difficult to point the exact cause, these can have a direct effect that may cause pulmonary hamartoma:

• TB

• An infectious fungus

• Round pneumonia

• A lung abscess

• Sarcoidosis

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Wegner granulomatosis

How is pulmonary hamartoma diagnosed?

After finding the presence of hamartoma in the patient, the doctor may suggest the following tests to confirm the diagnosis:

• Chest x-ray

• PET scan

• CT scan

• MRI

What are the treatment options for pulmonary hamartoma?

If the disease does not cause any symptoms for long, the doctor may suggest it to leave for some days to observe them carefully. Otherwise, the doctor may suggest a biopsy or a surgical removal of the hamartoma.