A 60-Year-Old Woman With PET Scan-Avid Lung Nodules and a History of a Ruptured Silicone Breast Implant

A 60-year-old woman was referred to the pulmonary clinic for evaluation of lung nodules. Her medical history was notable for hypothyroidism, anxiety, and a ruptured breast implant for which incomplete surgical resection and evacuation had been performed 10 years previously. She was a lifelong nonsmoker and worked as a gym instructor. The patient denied occupational exposures and had not traveled recently. Medications included levothyroxine and alprazolam. Except for a 1-month history of occasional dry cough, the review of systems was negative. The patient's physician queried whether the previously ruptured silicone breast implant may have played a role in the genesis of the nodules and referred the patient to our institution for further management. The lack of systemic symptoms relative to the degree of lung involvement provided an early diagnostic clue.