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Cureus Apr 2022
PubMed: 35463566
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.x16 -
The American Journal of Case Reports Jul 2022BACKGROUND Pancoast tumors, also called superior sulcus tumors, are a rare type of cancer affecting the lung apex. These tumors can spread to the brachial plexus and... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND Pancoast tumors, also called superior sulcus tumors, are a rare type of cancer affecting the lung apex. These tumors can spread to the brachial plexus and spine and present with symptoms that appear to be of musculoskeletal origin. CASE REPORT A 59-year-old Asian man presented to a chiropractor in Hong Kong with a 1-month history of neck and shoulder pain and numbness that had been treated unsuccessfully with exercise, medications, and acupuncture. He had an active history of tuberculosis, which was currently treated with antibiotics, and a 50-pack-year history of smoking. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed urgently, revealing a small cervical disc herniation thought to correspond with radicular symptoms. However, as the patient did not respond to a brief trial of care, a thoracic MRI was urgently ordered, revealing a large superior sulcus tumor invading the upper to mid-thoracic spine. The patient was referred for medical care and received radiotherapy and chemotherapy with a positive outcome. A literature review identified 6 previously published cases in which a patient presented to a chiropractor with an undiagnosed Pancoast tumor. All patients had shoulder, spine, and/or upper extremity pain. CONCLUSIONS Patients with a previously undiagnosed Pancoast tumor can present to chiropractors given that these tumors may invade the brachial plexus and spine, causing shoulder, spine, and/or upper extremity pain. Chiropractors should be aware of the clinical features and risk factors of Pancoast tumors to readily identify them and refer such patients for medical care.
Topics: Brachial Plexus; Chiropractic; Humans; Intervertebral Disc Displacement; Male; Middle Aged; Neck Pain; Pancoast Syndrome
PubMed: 35797264
DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.937052 -
Journal of Medical Case Reports Mar 2017Myxofibrosarcoma is an aggressive soft tissue neoplasm, classified as a variant of malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Most often, it occurs in middle to late adult life...
BACKGROUND
Myxofibrosarcoma is an aggressive soft tissue neoplasm, classified as a variant of malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Most often, it occurs in middle to late adult life peaking in the seventh decade and involving the lower extremities (77%), trunk (12%), and retroperitoneum or mediastinum (8%). We report the first case of thoracic myxofibrosarcoma presenting as a Pancoast tumor.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 48-year-old non-tobacco smoking African-American man presented with a slow-growing mass in his neck along with 11 kg weight loss over 9 months. A review of his systems was positive for hoarseness and lowgrade intermittent fever without any shortness of breath or cough. A physical examination revealed a mass on the left side of his neck superior to his sternoclavicular joint measuring 3 × 3 × 1 cm. He had ptosis and miosis of his left eye. His breath sounds were decreased and coarse at the left apex. A neurological examination revealed 3/5 strength in his left upper arm. The remainder of the physical examination was unremarkable. Ultrasound of his neck showed an ill-defined heterogeneous mass lateral to his left thyroid lobe. A computed tomography scan of his chest showed a large multiloculated pleural-based mass in his left lung surrounding the adjacent neurovascular structures. A percutaneous biopsy was non-diagnostic. Subsequently, he underwent a left thoracotomy with biopsy. The mass extended from his anterior mediastinum medially at the level of the pulmonary trunk, superiorly into the superior sulcus and posteriorly into his chest wall. Surgical pathology confirmed the diagnosis of myxofibrosarcoma.
CONCLUSIONS
Here we present a case of Pancoast tumor with myxofibrosarcoma as the underlying etiology. Pancoast syndrome generally entails an infiltrating lesion in the superior sulcus presenting with upper extremity pain, atrophy of the hand muscles, and Horner's syndrome. The differential diagnosis of Pancoast syndrome includes inflammatory and infectious etiologies, as well as neoplasms of benign and malignant nature. Of the neoplasms implicated, the most common are non-small cell lung carcinomas; myxofibrosarcoma presenting as a Pancoast tumor has not been reported in the literature.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle; Blepharoptosis; Fibrosarcoma; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Ifosfamide; Male; Middle Aged; Miosis; Myxosarcoma; Pancoast Syndrome; Soft Tissue Neoplasms; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; Weight Loss
PubMed: 28264709
DOI: 10.1186/s13256-017-1223-5 -
Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic... Nov 2016A best evidence topic in cardiothoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether induction (neoadjuvant)... (Review)
Review
A best evidence topic in cardiothoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether induction (neoadjuvant) chemoradiotherapy (iCRT) compared with other therapeutic strategies improves survival in patients with Pancoast tumours. Altogether 248 papers were identified using the below-mentioned search. Ten of them represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, journal, date and country of publication, patient group, relevant outcomes and weaknesses were tabulated. Four studies were retrospective comparative studies of induction chemoradiotherapy and surgery (trimodal therapy) versus other therapeutic strategies. Two studies were retrospective and four were prospective investigating trimodal therapy. These papers comprised a total of 550 patients. The overall survival was better with trimodal therapy compared with RT (radiotherapy) followed by surgery group in all three comparative studies. The 2-year survival varied in the trimodal therapy group from 70 to 93%, in comparison to RT group where variation was from 22 to 49%. Five-year survival for trimodal therapy varied between 36.4 and 84% in the results of two comparative studies, compared with 11 and 49% for RT and surgery, respectively. One paper looked at survival in patients who underwent surgery alone [30% at 2-year and 20% at 4-year overall survival (OS)]. The 5-year OS in the retrospective group varied between 38 and 59%. Similar results were reported for the prospective group with 5-year OS between 44 and 56%. Despite a large variation in pCR (complete pathological response) (15-93%) and R0 (77-100%) reported, both represented a positive prognostic factor for survival. Three papers looked at the impact of staging following induction chemoradiotherapy. The majority of patients had T3 disease. An advantage in survival was seen in patients with early disease compared with advanced stage. No randomized controlled trials were identified. All the 10 articles suggested there was a benefit in trimodal therapy with improvement in overall survival. We conclude that combining induction chemoradiotherapy with surgery for Pancoast tumour may offer a survival benefit compared with radiotherapy with surgery or surgery alone.
Topics: Aged; Antineoplastic Agents; Humans; Induction Chemotherapy; Male; Pancoast Syndrome; Prognosis; Survival Rate; United Kingdom
PubMed: 27365009
DOI: 10.1093/icvts/ivw216 -
Thoracic Cancer Jun 2023Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer and is frequently diagnosed at a late and unresectable stage with limited effective treatment options. Here, we present...
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer and is frequently diagnosed at a late and unresectable stage with limited effective treatment options. Here, we present the fifth reported case of a 77 year-old male with metastatic HCC presenting as a symptomatic superior sulcus lung tumor and discuss the genomic profile of this rare presentation of HCC for the first time, which included multiple classic mutations in HCC such as TERT, TP53, and WNT/β-catenin signaling as well as in the DNA repair gene ATM. The patient was treated with palliative radiotherapy to the Pancoast tumor followed by atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and passed away 6 months after diagnosis. This rare case highlights the need for effective treatment in aggressive and unresectable HCC and the utility of early genomic studies to allow for targeted therapy such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-inhibitors.
Topics: Male; Humans; Aged; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Liver Neoplasms; Pancoast Syndrome; Treatment Outcome; Genomics
PubMed: 37160416
DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.14923 -
Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic... Jan 2022This article aims to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a hybrid video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) approach to achieve en bloc lobectomy and spinal resection...
OBJECTIVES
This article aims to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a hybrid video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) approach to achieve en bloc lobectomy and spinal resection for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
METHODS
Between October 2015 and November 2020, 10 patients underwent VATS anatomical lobectomy and en bloc chest wall and spinal resection through a limited posterior midline incision as a single operation for T4 (vertebral involvement) lung cancer. Nine patients had Pancoast syndrome without vascular involvement and 1 patient had NSCLC of the right lower lobe with invasion of T9 and T10.
RESULTS
There were 5 men and 5 women. The mean age was 61 years (range: 47-74 years). Induction treatment was administered to 9 patients (90%). The average operative time was 315.5 min (range: 250-375 min). The average blood loss was 665 ml (range: 100-2500 ml). Spinal resection was hemivertebrectomy in 6 patients and wedge corpectomy in 4 patients. Complete resection (R0) was achieved in all patients. The average hospitalization stay was 14 days (range: 6-50 days). There was no in-hospital mortality. The mean follow-up was 32.3 months (range: 6-66 months). Six patients (60%) are alive without recurrence.
CONCLUSIONS
VATS is feasible and safe to achieve en bloc resection of NSCLC inviding the spine without compromising oncological efficacy. Further experience and longer follow-up are needed to determine if this approach provides any advantages over thoracotomy.
Topics: Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Female; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Pancoast Syndrome; Pneumonectomy; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; Thoracic Vertebrae
PubMed: 34999810
DOI: 10.1093/icvts/ivab215 -
Kyobu Geka. the Japanese Journal of... Sep 2019The apical invading lung cancer is the tumor infiltrating to the thoracic inlet, in other words, the 1st rib or the higher chest wall. Tumor arising in the posterior...
The apical invading lung cancer is the tumor infiltrating to the thoracic inlet, in other words, the 1st rib or the higher chest wall. Tumor arising in the posterior apex is invasive to the vertebral body, the sympathetic trunk, and the brachial plexus. Pancoast tumor is well known with typical triads, which is invasive to the sympathetic trunk and the brachial plexus in the posterior apex of the lung. Tumors originating in the anterior apex are called anterior apical tumors, and they often involve the subclavian vein and artery. Trimodality therapy is recommended to treat the apical invading lung cancer. Induction chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection lead to good local control and complete resection rate. Surgical approach should be selected based on the tumor location in the extreme apex. High posterolateral approach and hook approach are chosen for the tumor in the posterior apex. Anterior approaches developed by Masaoka, Dartevelle, Grunenwald, and Korst are suitable for the tumor in the anterior apex that are often invasive to the subclavian vessels. Surgical outcome depends on completeness of resection. Based on the preoperative evaluation of involved structures, appropriate surgical approach is important to achieve complete resection of the apical invading lung cancer.
Topics: Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Pancoast Syndrome
PubMed: 31582706
DOI: No ID Found -
Portuguese Journal of Cardiac Thoracic... Apr 2021Pancoast tumours are defined as tumours arising from the upper lobe and invading the thoracic inlet,representing less than 5% of all lung cancers. Clinical features...
Pancoast tumours are defined as tumours arising from the upper lobe and invading the thoracic inlet,representing less than 5% of all lung cancers. Clinical features depend on the involved structures. For many years invasion of the spine was considered unresectable and fatal. Due to the progress in spine surgery, en bloc resection including the spine is nowadays possible. We report the first case of a successful en bloc vertebral resection of a Pancoast tumour in a 66 year-old male, with a squamous cell carcinoma, treated at our department in a multidisciplinary setting, after induction chemoradiotherapy. An en bloc resection including the left upper lobe, the first three ribs and the vertebral body of D2, was performed through a Paulson incision after posterior cervico-dorsal arthrodesis. A complete R0 resection was confirmed on the pathology specimen. Currently, one year after surgery, although no local recurrence has occurred, the patient is being treated with immunotherapy due to disease progression in the right acetabulum which was irradiated (20Gy) and then submitted to iliac resection and prothesis reconstruction.
Topics: Aged; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Pancoast Syndrome
PubMed: 33834648
DOI: No ID Found -
BMJ Case Reports Nov 2018Pancoast's syndrome may be the result of neoplastic, inflammatory or infectious disease. We report an unusual case of Pancoast's syndrome in a patient with metastatic...
Pancoast's syndrome may be the result of neoplastic, inflammatory or infectious disease. We report an unusual case of Pancoast's syndrome in a patient with metastatic breast cancer. A 54-year-old woman, affected by metastatic breast cancer, presented for severe shoulder pain, paraesthesia and numbness in the right arm. Despite further multiple lines of systemic chemotherapy, she developed a progressive enlargement of retropectoral, supraclavicular and infraclavicular lymph node metastases, which involved brachial plexus, apex of lung and anterior mediastinum. Physical examination revealed severe weakness of proximal muscles of the right arm. Neuropathic pain was managed with pharmacological treatment. Lastly, the patient has been treated with intrathecal analgesia with morphine and ziconotide with a good control of pain. The patient died after 3 months.
Topics: Brachial Plexus; Breast Neoplasms; Fatal Outcome; Female; Humans; Lymph Nodes; Lymphatic Metastasis; Middle Aged; Neuralgia; Pain Management; Pancoast Syndrome; Shoulder Pain
PubMed: 30567112
DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2018-226793 -
Journal of Chiropractic Medicine Dec 2023The purpose of this report was to describe a patient with a Pancoast tumor who presented for chiropractic care with neck and arm pain.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this report was to describe a patient with a Pancoast tumor who presented for chiropractic care with neck and arm pain.
CLINICAL FEATURES
A 52-year-old male patient with right-sided cervicothoracic pain and numbness in the right upper extremity presented to a chiropractic office for care. The patient reported an occupational history of repetitive lifting motions and overuse injuries. The patient denied history of smoking at the time of presentation.
INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME
Radiographic imaging revealed tracheal deviation. A chest computed tomography image demonstrated a large lesion in the apex of the right lung, suggestive of bronchogenic carcinoma. The patient was referred to an oncology clinic, where he admitted to having a 20-year history of smoking. The diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was made via biopsy, and the oncologist's evaluation confirmed the cancer to be stage IIIC. The patient received palliative care treatments, as the advanced state of his condition determined that he was not a candidate for surgical intervention.
CONCLUSION
Chiropractors and other first-contact health care providers must keep in mind unusual presentations masquerading as common conditions. This case demonstrates the importance of including apical lung tumors in the differential diagnosis of unilateral arm and neck pain and neurologic deficits of the upper extremity. This case demonstrates the importance of thorough follow-up on images ordered, including the ordering clinicians viewing the images themselves.
PubMed: 38205223
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcm.2023.07.003