Cancer-associated retinopathy preceding the diagnosis of a pulmonary carcinoid tumour

Abstract

Cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR) belongs to the paraneoplastic retinopathy syndromes and manifests itself by rapidly progressive vision loss, scotoma and photopsia. We herein reported the case of a 77-year-old woman without a cancer history who presents typical CAR symptoms. A complete workup followed by lung biopsy enabled the detection of a pulmonary carcinoid tumour. Treatment of oral cortisone was then initiated with dramatic improvements in the symptoms.

Keywords: lung cancer (oncology); medical management; visual pathway.

Figure 1

Fluorescein angiography of the right eye (late frames): multiple periphlebitis in the periphery.

Figure 2

Typical carcinoid lung tumour: the lesion consists of nests of a homogeneous population of cells showing oval nuclei with fine chromatin (H&E, ×400).

Figure 3

Typical carcinoid lung tumour: intense and diffuse positivity of tumour cells for synaptophysin, confirming their neuroendocrine differentiation (synaptophysin immunostain, ×400).