Non-small cell lung cancer presenting as "psoas muscle syndrome".

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and majority of patients are diagnosed in advanced/metastatic disease stage. Sites of distant metastases mainly include contralateral lung, lymph nodes, brain, bones, adrenal glands and liver; skeletal muscles metastases (SMMs) are less common. Psoas muscle and diaphragm metastases are mainly found during autopsy, as their involvement commonly is asymptomatic. We report a case of a 60-year-old female, suffering from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with refractory lower back pain, as expression of malignant psoas syndrome (MPS). MPS is a rare and difficult-to-treat cancer-pain syndrome, unresponsive to majority of analgesic therapy, related to psoas muscle metastasis; it is usually caused by different tumors such as uterus, ovary, bladder, prostate, colon-rectum, lymphoma, melanoma and sarcoma and represents an uncommon finding in NSCLC patients.

• Authors: Mariano Mollica, Rosalba Maffucci, Sabrina Lavoretano, Gaetano Rea, Francesco Saverio Cerqua, Luigi Aronne, Andrea Bianco, Fabio Perrotta
• Journal: Monaldi archives for chest disease = Archivio Monaldi per le malattie del torace (Monaldi Arch Chest Dis) Vol. 89 Issue 1 (Apr 05 2019) ISSN: 1122-0643 [Print] Italy
• PMID: 30968671 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Topics

• Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung (diagnosis, pathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Low Back Pain (etiology)
• Lung Neoplasms (diagnosis, pathology)
• Middle Aged
• Muscle Neoplasms (diagnosis, secondary)
• Psoas Muscles (pathology)
• Syndrome