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
Case Reports
. 2018 Aug;9(4):115-118.
doi: 10.14740/wjon1130w. Epub 2018 Sep 6.

The First Report of Small Cell Cancer of the Uvula Presenting With Ectopic Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Syndrome

Arjun Natarajan  1 , Ashraf Abugroun  1 , Amir Khan  1 , Numan Jahangir  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

The First Report of Small Cell Cancer of the Uvula Presenting With Ectopic Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Syndrome

Arjun Natarajan et al. World J Oncol. 2018 Aug.

Abstract

Small cell carcinoma (SmCC) of the head and neck is a rare occurrence. We herein present a case of a 62-year-old female who was diagnosed with small cell cancer of the uvula. The patient developed increased body swelling, elevated blood pressure, persistent hypokalemia and new onset diabetes mellitus. Further workup confirmed a diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome secondary to ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) production. To our knowledge, this is only the second case of SmCC of the uvula described in literature, and the first associated with any paraneoplastic syndrome. By reporting this case, we aim to characterize the tumor clinical course and highlight the aggressive nature of its growth.

Keywords: ACTH; Ectopic; Small cell cancer; Uvula.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Microscopic view of a histological biopsy of the uvula. (a) H&E stain shows sheets of spindle shaped cells in nests on low power microscopic view (b) H&E stain shows the dense nuclei with inconspicuous nucleoli and scant cytoplasm on high power microscopic view. (c) Demonstrable positivity to synaptophysin stain. (d) Similar positivity to TTF1 stain.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed heterogeneous, mildly enhancing, T2 bright mass along the left fossa of Rosenmuller, compatible with malignancy (arrows).
Figure 3
Figure 3
CT scan of the abdomen showed nodular cirrhotic liver with innumerable metastatic deposits within the liver measuring up to 3.2 cm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Pointer KB, Ko HC, Brower JV, Witek ME, Kimple RJ, Lloyd RV, Harari PM. et al. Small cell carcinoma of the head and neck: An analysis of the National Cancer Database. Oral Oncol. 2017;69:92–98. doi: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2017.04.009. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Renner G. Small cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a review. Semin Oncol. 2007;34(1):3–14. doi: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2006.10.024. - DOI - PubMed
    1. van der Heijden HF, Heijdra YF. Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma. South Med J. 2005;98(3):345–349. doi: 10.1097/01.SMJ.0000145724.40477.50. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mills SE. Neuroendocrine tumors of the head and neck: a selected review with emphasis on terminology. Endocr Pathol. 1996;7(4):329–343. doi: 10.1007/BF02739841. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Procopio G, Ricotta R, Fusi A, Celio L, De Dosso S, Catena L, Ferrari L. et al. Neuroendocrine tumors of the larynx: a clinical report and literature review. Tumori. 2006;92(1):72–75. doi: 10.1177/030089160609200112. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources