Intestinal pseudo-obstruction: An important diagnostic challenge

Carmen Salvador-Coloma, Mohamed Bennis, Lydia Díez Langhetée, Óscar Niño Gómez, Encarnación Reche Santos, Óscar Juan Vidal

Abstract


We present the case of a 72-year-old patient admitted on various occasions with symptoms of intestinal pseudo-obstruction. Extensive diagnostic tests eventually found that the patient had small-cell lung cancer associated with high anti-HU antibody titres, which pointed to a probable paraneoplastic intestinal obstruction syndrome associated with small-cell lung cancer. A paraneoplastic syndrome causing abnormal changes in gastrointestinal motility can be the first signs of small cell lung cancer. These syndromes improve with treatment of the underlying disease, as seen in our patient, who stopped having episodes of intestinal pseudo-obstruction after administration of chemotherapy.

Keywords


Lung Cancer; Small-Cell Lung Cancer; Anti-HU; Paraneoplastic Syndrome; Intestinal Obstruction

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14319/ijcto.33.9

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International Journal of Cancer Therapy and Oncology (ISSN 2330-4049)

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