{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T17:59:50Z","timestamp":1781287190936,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":5,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780358400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":1,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>We present an extremely rare and diagnostically challenging case of benign nodular smooth muscle proliferation (NSMP) in the lungs. A 41-year-old female patient presented with a cough and a right upper lung lobe lesion. Multislice computed tomography and positron emission tomography\/computed tomography suggested malignancy despite relatively low metabolic activity. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy and transthoracic needle biopsy were inconclusive, so a right upper lobectomy with mediastinal lymphadenectomy was performed. Histopathology unveiled benign NSMP. This case underscores the diagnostic challenges of rare benign lung lesions mimicking malignancy and emphasizes a structured diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Clinical suspicion may arise in patients such as older adults presenting with well-defined pulmonary nodules, an inconclusive biopsy demonstrating smooth muscle proliferation, and low to moderate fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography\/computed tomography. When other diagnostic methods fail to provide a definitive diagnosis, surgical resection should be considered both as a diagnostic and therapeutic option. Histopathology remains the gold standard for differentiating benign from malignant lung lesions and enables definitive treatment in benign conditions, such as benign NSMP.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/icvts\/ivag163","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,31]],"date-time":"2026-05-31T11:34:26Z","timestamp":1780227266000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Benign Nodular Smooth Muscle Proliferation of the Lung Mimicking Malignancy"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"41","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8603-8314","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tomislav","family":"Be\u010dejac","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department of Thoracic Surgery, School of Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, University of Zagreb , Zagreb 10000,","place":["Croatia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-5187-7345","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nikolina","family":"Tuti\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department of Thoracic Surgery, School of Medicine, University Hospital Centre Osijek, University of Osijek , Osijek 31000,","place":["Croatia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9118-464X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana","family":"Matai\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department for Pathology and Cytology, School of Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, University of Zagreb , Zagreb 10000,","place":["Croatia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8947-627X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ivan","family":"Bunjevac","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department of Thoracic Surgery, School of Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, University of Zagreb , Zagreb 10000,","place":["Croatia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026061213512539500_ivag163-B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1229","DOI":"10.21873\/anticanres.14064","article-title":"Recurrent uterine smooth-muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP): state of the art","volume":"40","author":"Rizzo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Anticancer Res"},{"key":"2026061213512539500_ivag163-B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1186\/s13019-020-01228-6","article-title":"Two cases of nodular smooth muscle proliferation suspected of primary lung cancer from preoperative images: a case report","volume":"15","author":"Ikeda","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Cardiothorac Surg"},{"key":"2026061213512539500_ivag163-B3","first-page":"437","volume-title":"Dail and Hammar\u2019s Pulmonary Pathology, Volume II: neoplastic Lung Disease","author":"Fraire","year":"2008","edition":"3rd ed"},{"key":"2026061213512539500_ivag163-B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1417787","DOI":"10.3389\/fsurg.2024.1417787","article-title":"Robotic thoracic surgery: lessons learned from the first 1,000 procedures","volume":"11","author":"Durand","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Surg"},{"key":"2026061213512539500_ivag163-B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"144","DOI":"10.1186\/s12893-019-0618-1","article-title":"Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery versus muscle-sparing thoracotomy for non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"19","author":"Wang","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC Surg"}],"container-title":["Interdisciplinary CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/icvts\/advance-article-pdf\/doi\/10.1093\/icvts\/ivag163\/68445996\/ivag163.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"am","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/icvts\/article-pdf\/41\/6\/ivag163\/68445996\/ivag163.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/icvts\/article-pdf\/41\/6\/ivag163\/68445996\/ivag163.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T17:51:34Z","timestamp":1781286694000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/icvts\/article\/doi\/10.1093\/icvts\/ivag163\/8699599"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]]},"references-count":5,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,9]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/icvts\/ivag163","relation":{},"ISSN":["2753-670X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2753-670X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]]},"article-number":"ivag163"}}