Complications of Lung Cancer
Clinical Presentation
-Cough, dyspnoea, chest pain, heamoptysis, and hoarseness of voice.
If Invasion or obstruction of vital thoracic organs occur
-Superior vena cavae obstruction
-Pleural/ pericardial effusion
-Pancoast syndrome
-Paralysis of the recurrent laryngeal nervehoarseness of voice
-Phrenic nerve palsy paralysis of ipsilateral hemidiaphragm
-Horner’s syndrome
-Dysphagia oesophageal compression
-Intense and radiating neuropathic pain in the ipsilateral upper extremity due to superior sulcus tumour compression of the brachial plexus roots.
Metastatic Disease
-metastasize to liver, adrenal glands, bone, brain and regional lymph nodes.
-Bone pain, seizures, hemiplegia and hepatomegaly.
General Presentation
-Drastic/ significant weight loss, malaise, fatigue and anorexic.
Para-neoplastic Syndrome
-syndrome of Inappropriate Anti-diuretic Hormone (SIADH)
-Hypercalcaemia
-Gynecomastia and galactorrhea large cell carcinoma
-Cushing Syndrome small cell carcinoma
-Neurological Syndrome
- Eaton- Lambert Syndrome manifestation of small cell carcinoma due to defective acetycholine release at neuromuscular junction proximal muscle weakness and reduction of tendon reflexes. Can be accompanied by xerostomia (mouth dryness), sexual impotence and peripheral neuropathy.
Superior Vena Cava Syndrome
-characterized by gradual, insidious compression of the superior vena cava, can be life-threatening
-thin wall coupled with low intravascular pressurerelative easy to be compress possible thrombus formation and increase venous pressure interstitial oedema and retrograde collateral flow.
-Causes early morning headache, facial congestion, dusky skin colouration and oedema in upper limbs, and distended jugular veins.
-90% associated with malignancy (bronchogenic carcinoma)
Horner’s Syndrome
-Interruption of the sympathetic ganglion chain causing miosis (constricted pupil), partial ptosis and loss of hemifacial sweating.
-Pancoast tumour in apical of lungs compressing on the sympathetic chain
Pleural/ Pericardial Effusion
- infiltration into parietal pleura/ pericardial sac.
Metabolic (universal at some stage)
Loss of weight
Lassitude
Anorexia
Endocrine (10%) (usually small-cell carcinoma)
Ectopic adrenocorticotrophin syndrome
Syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH)
Hypercalcaemia (usually squamous cell carcinoma)
Rarer: hypoglycaemia, thyrotoxicosis, gynaecomastia
Neurological (2-16%)
Encephalopathies - including subacute cerebellar degeneration
Myelopathies - motor neurone disease
Neuropathies - peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy
Muscular disorders - polymyopathy, myasthenic syndrome (Eaton-Lambert syndrome)
Vascular and haematological (rare)
Thrombophlebitis migrans
Non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis
Microcytic and normocytic anaemia
Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
Haemolytic anaemia
Skeletal
Clubbing (30%)
Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (± gynaecomastia) (3%)
Cutaneous (rare)
Dermatomyositis
Acanthosis nigricans
Herpes zoster
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