Pulmonary Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor Associated with Digital Clubbing-A Case Report

Abstract

Digital clubbing, one of the syndromes of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy, is associated with many types of medical illness, including infectious, inflammatory disease, cyanotic heart disease and neoplasm. Classically, digital clubbing has been thought to be associated with lung cancer. The incidence of clubbing fingers in lung cancer is about 10-29%, and it is more associated with non-small cell lung cancer than small cell lung cancer. We present a rare case of pulmonary primitive neuroectodermal tumor with clubbing fingers. A 56-year-old man had suffered from progressive dyspnea on exertion, accompanied with cough, abdominal fullness and body weight loss of 10 kg in the most recent 5 months. On examination, obvious digital clubbing was found in both hands. Imaging study demonstrated a huge left lung tumor. Sonography-guided biopsy was performed and the pathology report suggested primitive neuroectodermal tumor. The patient received chemotherapy with doxorubicin, decarbazine and ifosfamide, and began gradually feeling less dyspneic after chemotherapy.