The prognostic importance of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in comparison to the invasive subtypes needs to be studied, although the natural history of a pure bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is still unclear. We report the appearance of a pure ground-glass opacity that demonstrates rapid progression into a solid component in the central area, pathologically revealing a minimally invasive papillary adenocarcinoma. Considering the findings of previous reports, as well as our case, we need to pay careful attention to the follow-up of a patient who has even a pure ground-glass opacity when the patient had a history of an invasive lung cancer. We need also to perform curative surgery with optimal timing.