Pulmonary Hamartoma

Pulmonary hamartomas are noncancerous lung growths characterized by an abnormal mix of tissue types, including cartilage, connective tissue, fat, and epithelium. They represent the most common benign lung tumors in adults but are quite rare in children. A lesion first described by German pathologist Eugen Albrecht in 1904, hamartomas are generally benign tumors that may occur in the lungs, skin, heart, breast, and other body regions. The word hamartoma derives from hamartia, the Greek word for erroneous or faulty. The cellular makeup of a hamartoma is an abnormal mixture of tissue components expected in the organ of origin, though organ architecture is usually not preserved within the lesion.

Pulmonary hamartomas grow slowly, are typically asymptomatic, and are often discovered incidentally. These hamartomas grow slowly, are typically asymptomatic, and are often discovered incidentally. On chest imaging, they appear as well-defined, round, or lobulated structures, usually less than 3 cm in diameter, often located in the peripheral lung tissue. Therefore, neoplastic pressure erosion of adjacent structures is typically not noted.

Enucleation and wedge resections are the preferred surgical treatments. For larger, multiple, or hilar lesions that make less invasive surgeries impractical, lobectomy, sleeve resection, or pneumonectomy may be necessary. For patients with a risk of malignant transformation or coexisting primary lung cancer, anatomic resections are recommended. Endobronchial hamartomas can often be effectively removed via bronchoscopy.