Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Paraneoplastic diarrhea in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Clinical Journal of Gastroenterology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We present a case of newly diagnosed lung adenocarcinoma and a five-month history of diarrhea. The patient was found to have elevated chromogranin A serum levels and the tumor displayed histologic and immunohistochemical features of neuroendocrine differentiation. Upon lobectomy and tumor resection, the chromogranin A levels normalized and the diarrhea resolved completely. This is the first reported case of paraneoplastic diarrhea associated with lung adenocarcinoma.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Halperin DM, Kulke MH. Management of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2012;41:119–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Mignon M, Ruszniewski P, Haffar S, Riguad D, Rene E, Bonfils S. Current approach to the management of tumoral process in patients with gastrinoma. World J Surg. 1986;10:703–10.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Ellison TA, Edil BH. The current management of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Adv Surg. 2012;46:283–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Modlin IM, Kidd M, Latich I, Zikusoka MN, Shapiro MD. Current status of gastrointestinal carcinoids. Gastroenterology. 2005;128:1717–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Robbins J, Merino MJ, Boice JD, Ron E, Ain KB, Alexander HR, et al. Thyroid cancer: a lethal endocrine neoplasm. Ann Intern Med. 1991;115:133–47.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Coners K, Woods SE, Webb M. Dual paraneoplastic syndromes in a patient with small cell lung cancer: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2011;5:318.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Pratz KW, Ma C, Aubry MC, et al. Large cell carcinoma with calcitonin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-associated Verner-Morrison syndrome. Mayo Clin Proc. 2005;80:116–20.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Abou-Saif A, Lei J, McDonald TJ, Chakrabarti S, Waxman IF, Shojamanesh H, et al. A new cause of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome: non-small cell lung cancer. Gastroenterology. 2001;120:1271–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no financial, professional, or personal conflict of interest. EB is supported by an NIH R01 Grant (DK073639) and a CCFA award (SRA # 2373). For the remaining authors none were declared.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX, 75390-9151, USA

    Anh D. Nguyen & Ezra Burstein

  2. Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Mark A. Valasek

Authors
  1. Anh D. Nguyen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mark A. Valasek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ezra Burstein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ezra Burstein.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nguyen, A.D., Valasek, M.A. & Burstein, E. Paraneoplastic diarrhea in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma. Clin J Gastroenterol 6, 357–360 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-013-0407-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-013-0407-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation