Carcinoma of the lung: plain chest x-ray

This chest x-ray shows gross loss of volume of the left lung with a marked shift of the mediastinum to the left (note the position of the trachea). This is near total collapse of the left lung. The causes include cancer obstructing the left main bronchus, extrinsic compression of this bronchus from a space-occupying lesion such as cancer, or tuberculous lymph nodes. If the collapse is recent, urgent treatment is required to re-expand the lung.