Pancoast Syndrome

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Other Names :  

Pancoast’s syndrome

What is Pancoast Syndrome ?  

Involvement of brachial plexus and cervical sympathetic nerves due to its compression caused by malignant neoplasm of the superior sulcus of the lung.


Cause(s) :  
  • Non-small cell lung carcinoma
  • Sometimes small cell carcinoma
Symptoms :  
  • Severe shoulder pain, radiating towards axilla and scapula along the ulnar aspect of the muscles of the hand
  • Atrophy of hand and arm muscles
  • Compression of the blood vessels with edema
  • Horner syndrome (combined occurrence of ptosis, miosis, hernianhidrosis, posterior displacement of the eyeball within the eye)
  • Signs of associated lung cancer like cough, dyspnea and hemoptysis
Diagnosis and Tests :  
  • Physical examination for ptosis and miosis
  • Biopsy of lungs
  • Bronchoscopy
  • Chest Radiography
  • CT scan of lungs
  • MRI scan of lungs
  • PET scan of lungs
  • Liver, bone and brain scan
  • Tumour markers
Specialist to consult :  Oncology-Medical

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