Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Mar;6 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S108-15.
doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2013.12.29.

Pancoast tumors: characteristics and preoperative assessment

Nikolaos Panagopoulos  1 , Vasilios Leivaditis  1 , Efstratios Koletsis  1 , Christos Prokakis  1 , Panagiotis Alexopoulos  1 , Nikolaos Baltayiannis  1 , Antonios Hatzimichalis  1 , Kosmas Tsakiridis  1 , Paul Zarogoulidis  1 , Konstantinos Zarogoulidis  1 , Nikolaos Katsikogiannis  1 , Ioanna Kougioumtzi  1 , Nikolaos Machairiotis  1 , Theodora Tsiouda  1 , Georgios Kesisis  1 , Stavros Siminelakis  1 , Athanasios Madesis  1 , Dimitrios Dougenis  1
Affiliations
Review

Pancoast tumors: characteristics and preoperative assessment

Nikolaos Panagopoulos et al. J Thorac Dis. 2014 Mar.

Abstract

Superior sulcus tumors (SSTs), or as otherwise known Pancoast tumors, make up a clinically unique and challenging subset of non-small cell carcinoma of the lung (NSCLC). Although the outcome of patients with this disease has traditionally been poor, recent developments have contributed to a significant improvement in prognosis of SST patients. The combination of severe and unrelenting shoulder and arm pain along the distribution of the eighth cervical and first and second thoracic nerve trunks, Horner's syndrome (ptosis, miosis, and anhidrosis) and atrophy of the intrinsic hand muscles comprises a clinical entity named as "Pancoast-Tobias syndrome". Apart NSCLC, other lesions may, although less frequently, result in Pancoast syndrome. In the current review we will present the main characteristics of the disease and focus on the preoperative assessment.

Keywords: Pancoast; lung cancer; surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Pancoast HK. Importance of careful roentgen ray investigations of apical chest tumors. JAMA 1924;83:1407
    1. Pancoast HK. Superior pulmonary sulcus tumor: tumor characterized by pain, Horner’s syndrome, destruction of bone and atrophy of hand muscles. JAMA 1932;99:1391-6
    1. Hare E.Tumor involving certain nerves. London Med Gazette 1838;1:16-8
    1. Herbut PA, Watson JS. Tumor of the thoracic inlet producing Pancoast syndrome: a report of seventeen cases and review of the literature. Arch Pathol (Chic) 1946;42:88-103 - PubMed
    1. Haas LL, Harvey RA, Langer SS. Radiation management of otherwise hopeless thoracic neoplasm. J Am Med Assoc 1954;154:323-6 - PubMed