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Eur Radiol 2021 May 15. Epub 2021 May 15.

Department of Radiology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, 114 Rue Edouard Vaillant, Villejuif, 94800, Paris, France.

Objectives: Vertebral invasion is a key prognostic factor and a critical aspect of surgical planning for superior sulcus tumors. This study aims to further evaluate MRI features of vertebral invasion in order to distinguish it from reactive inflammatory changes.

Methods: Between 2000 and 2016, a retrospective study was performed at a single institution. Read More

Rev Port Cir Cardiotorac Vasc 2021 Apr 8;28(1):61-63. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Thoracic Surgery Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Portugal.

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. Read More

Cureus 2021 Feb 16;13(2):e13371. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Department of Internal Medicine, Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Porto, PRT.

A Pancoast tumor is a rare condition, representing 3% to 5% of all lung cancers. The particular location of these lesions leads to the invasion of structures in the thoracic inlet, causing a constellation of symptoms known as Pancoast-Tobias syndrome. Diagnosis can be challenging due to their low prevalence and the possibility of being asymptomatic. Read More

Cureus 2021 Feb 3;13(2):e13112. Epub 2021 Feb 3.

Internal Medicine, Saint Mary's Hospital, Waterbury, USA.

A 65-year-old man with 50 pack-year smoking history presented to the emergency department for evaluation of upper back and right shoulder pain secondary to a fall. Physical examination was notable for anisocoria with a constricted left pupil (miosis), mild ptosis of the left eyelid, and bilateral shoulder pain, right more than left, with both passive and active movements. Chest computed tomography identified a soft tissue mass at the left lung apex with extension into the pleural surface, associated with destructive osseous changes of the right scapula, adjacent ribs, and thoracic vertebral bodies. Read More

Cureus 2020 Nov 24;12(11):e11670. Epub 2020 Nov 24.

General Surgery, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad del Bajío, León, MEX.

The superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is caused by a mechanical obstruction; 90% are of neoplasic etiology (lung cancer (LC) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) mostly), epithelial neoplasms of the thymus (NET) is a rare cause, thymic carcinoma (TC) causing less than 1% of cases. A 56-year-old male presented with a four-month history of dyspnea, dysphonia, facial and cervical edema and bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. The tomography showed bilateral, mediastinal, retroperitoneal lymphadenopathies, and obstruction of the internal jugular vein, right apical pulmonary nodules. Read More

J Cancer Res Ther 2020 Jul-Sep;16(4):771-779

Department of Medical Oncology, Army Hospital Research and Referral, New Delhi, India.

Introduction: Lung cancer is the most common malignant disease and is the topmost cause of cancer deaths in the world across all age groups and in both sexes. It is the most common cause of cancer deaths in developed countries and is also rising at an alarming rate in the developing countries.

Objective: The present study was undertaken to explore the clinicopathological and molecular profile of bronchogenic carcinoma in northwestern population of India. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2020 Sep 11;21:e926643. Epub 2020 Sep 11.

Department of Family Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND Shoulder pain is a common complaint in general practice and typically has an orthopedic or rheumatological etiology. However, it may be the presenting symptom of a serious underlying condition, such as lung cancer. CASE REPORT A 60-year-old man with a 30 pack-year history of smoking presented with worsening right shoulder pain over the last 6 months. Read More

Am J Hematol 2020 11 3;95(11):1430-1431. Epub 2020 Oct 3.

Department of Pathology, Maasstad Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Agri 2020 Apr;32(2):109-112

Division of Algology, Department of Neurology, Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.

A Pancoast or superior sulcus tumor is a rare, bronchogenic carcinoma. In the early period, shoulder pain is the most common symptom. In this case, the patient had presented with complaints of shoulder and arm pain at other outpatient clinics and was examined primarily for musculoskeletal causes and radiculopathy. Read More

Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2020 Aug 3;68(8):801-811. Epub 2020 Mar 3.

Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to identify prognostic determinants and to comparably analyze clinical features of patients with both resected and unresected superior sulcus tumors (SSTs).

Methods: The data of 56 patients who underwent any treatment for an SST from 2004 through 2016 in our hospital were reviewed. Overall survival (OS) rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Read More

J Dtsch Dermatol Ges 2020 Jan 19;18(1):47-49. Epub 2019 Nov 19.

Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Curr Probl Cancer 2020 04 1;44(2):100506. Epub 2019 Nov 1.

Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. Electronic address:

Kyobu Geka 2019 Sep;72(10):840-844

Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.

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. Read More

Clin Ter 2019 Jul-Aug;170(4):e291-e294

Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Disciplines, University of Palermo.

Background: Pancoast's syndrome is caused by malignant neoplasm of superior sulcus of the lung which produces destructive lesions of thoracic inlet and comes along with the involvement of brachial plexus and stellate ganglion. Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can detect early lesions otherwise missed by routine radiographs and can also define the local extent or metastatic progression of the disease. Protocols involving combinations of irradiation, chemotherapy, and surgery are currently being under investigation to determine the best management. Read More

Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 2019 03 11;139(5). Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Front Neurol 2019 22;10. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Department of Neurology, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States.

Horner's syndrome is an established clinical finding unique to neoplastic brachial plexopathy. We present the case of a patient who developed Horner's syndrome as the first manifestation of neurolymphomatosis (NL) of the brachial plexus that did not have the usually associated bulky adenopathy/Pancoast syndrome phenotype. We discuss the clinical utility of Horner's syndrome with regards to brachial plexopathy of indeterminate etiology, as well as the utility of other diagnostic modalities in NL. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Jan 24;12(1). Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Emergency Department, Guy's and Saint Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

A 54-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a 4-week history of right shoulder pain radiating down his arm, with some associated sensory loss. Further questioning and examination in the department revealed a classical Horner's syndrome; miosis, partial ptosis and hemifacial anhidrosis. An initial chest X-ray was deemed to be unremarkable; however, further review by a radiologist noted asymmetrical right apical thickening. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2018 Nov 28;11(1). Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy.

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. Read More

J Mycol Med 2019 Apr 12;29(1):80-83. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Radiology, Zhejiang Hospital, 12, Lingyin road, 310013 Hangzhou, China. Electronic address:

Pulmonary mucormycosis is a rare opportunistic infection caused by Mucormycosis. This fungal infection is uncommon in immunocompetent individuals. Because of its various clinical and imaging manifestations, it is a diagnostic challenge to distinguish pulmonary mucormycosis from other pulmonary diseases, such as carcinoma. Read More

Exp Oncol 2018 Oct;40(3):239-242

National Cancer Institute, Kyiv 03022, Ukraine.

Aim: To study the nature of different variants of paraneoplastic syndrome (PNPS) in lung cancer, taking into account the features of the tumorous process and the complications of radiochemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: We performed an analysis of the data of 1,669 patients with lung cancer aged between 24 and 87 years, among whom there were 89% of men and 11% of women. The ratio of small cell and non-small-cell histological variants of the lung cancer was 1: 4, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB and IV stages of cancer - 1:2:6:58:43:57. Read More

J Emerg Med 2018 09 23;55(3):399-401. Epub 2018 Jul 23.

Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Diego, California.

Background: Pancoast syndrome is an uncommon complication of apical lung tumors. Symptoms include pain, brachial plexopathy, and Horner's syndrome, and are the result of extrinsic compression of tissues within the thoracic inlet. Lymphoma is a very rare etiology. Read More

Eur J Intern Med 2019 02 10;60:e7-e8. Epub 2018 Jul 10.

Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA. Electronic address:

Cir Esp (Engl Ed) 2018 Dec 20;96(10):655. Epub 2018 Jun 20.

Departamento de Cirugía Torácica, Universidad de Ataturk, Erzurum, Turquía.

Zentralbl Chir 2018 Jun 22;143(3):316-330. Epub 2018 Jun 22.

Pancoast or superior pulmonary sulcus tumour is a subset of lung carcinoma that invades the structures of the thoracic inlet - first ribs, distal roots of the brachial plexus, stellate ganglion, vertebrae, and subclavian vessels. The first symptom is usually shoulder pain; consequently, most patients are initially treated for osteoarthritis. Late diagnosis is common. Read More

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2019 02;55(2):377-379

Department of Thoracic Surgery, Kyoto University Hospital, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.

A 74-year-old man presented with a left superior sulcus tumour invading the subclavian artery. After induction chemoradiotherapy, he underwent a vertebral artery reconstruction in addition to the subclavian artery reconstruction via a transmanubrial approach and video-assisted thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy. The final pathology was ypT4N0M0 adenocarcinoma. Read More

J Am Osteopath Assoc 2018 Jun;118(6):416-419

Signet ring cell carcinoma, a subtype of adenocarcinoma, is a rare cause of primary lung cancer. The authors report a case of primary lung signet ring cell carcinoma presenting as a cavitary Pancoast tumor in a 32-year-old male smoker. Beyond the rarity of primary lung signet ring cell carcinoma itself, the youth of the patient, his smoking status, the presence of cavitation, and the location of the tumor in the superior sulcus make it especially atypical. Read More

Ann Thorac Surg 2018 09 12;106(3):e115-e116. Epub 2018 Apr 12.

Division of Thoracic Surgery, European Institute of Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.

Several different surgical approaches to anterior Pancoast tumors have been proposed. The osteomuscular-sparing transmanubrial approach allows optimal exposure and control of apical chest wall structures, but it requires an additional thoracotomy to perform the lobectomy with radical lymph node resection. The presented technique combines the osteomuscular-sparing transmanubrial approach with robotic-assisted upper lobectomy in a severely obese patient, thereby reducing the invasiveness of the surgical approach and the postoperative complications. Read More

A A Pract 2018 Jul;11(2):29-31

From the Departments of Chronic Pain Medicine.

Pancoast-Tobias syndrome characterizes the signs and symptoms of a superior pulmonary sulcus tumor, and includes arm and shoulder pain, atrophy of intrinsic hand muscles, and ipsilateral Horner syndrome. The rarity and overall poor prognosis of patients with superior pulmonary sulcus tumors associated with Pancoast-Tobias syndrome has led to few reports detailing pain management strategies with adjunctive therapies, such as continuous infusions of ketamine and lidocaine, chemotherapy, radiation, and multimodal oral medication regimens. This case highlights the diagnosis and treatment of pain in a patient with Pancoast-Tobias syndrome. Read More