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
. 2023 Dec 7;16(12):e254701.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2023-254701.

Digital ischaemia as a presenting feature in metastatic ovarian cancer

Affiliations
Case Reports

Digital ischaemia as a presenting feature in metastatic ovarian cancer

Jonathan Harry Miller et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

A woman in her 50s presented with acute pain and discolouration in the fingertips of both hands, without other features of connective tissue disease. The history was otherwise significant for abdominal bloating, altered bowel habit, urinary urgency and fatigue. Inflammatory markers, antinuclear antibodies, serum protein electrophoresis and complement levels were all normal. The tumour marker CA125 was significantly elevated, prompting a CT abdomen and pelvis, which revealed a large right-sided adnexal mass with multiple enhancing peritoneal and omental nodules and moderate ascites, suggestive of disseminated primary ovarian cancer.Digital ischaemia (DI) can be associated with cancer in up to 15% of cases. An underlying cancer should be suspected in patients presenting with new or worsening symptoms of DI. Prompt treatment with anticancer therapies can achieve complete resolution of DI.

Keywords: Connective tissue disease; Gynecological cancer; Vasculitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ten-digit ischaemia at initial presentation.

References

    1. Le Besnerais M, Miranda S, Cailleux N, et al. Digital ischemia associated with cancer: results from a cohort study. Medicine (Baltimore) 2014;93:e47. 10.1097/MD.0000000000000047 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hawley PR, Johnston AW, Rankin JT. Association between digital ischaemia and malignant disease. BMJ 1967;3:208–12. 10.1136/bmj.3.5559.208 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chow S-F, McKenna CH. Ovarian cancer and gangrene of the digits: case report and review of the literature. Mayo Clin Proc 1996;71:253–8. 10.4065/71.3.253 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Freundlich B, Makover D, Maul GG. A novel antinuclear antibody associated with a lupus-like paraneoplastic syndrome. Ann Intern Med 1988;109:295. 10.7326/0003-4819-109-4-295 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lai TS, Shim MR, Shin D, et al. Paraneoplastic Raynaud phenomenon associated with metastatic ovarian cancer: a case report and review of the literature. Gynecol Oncol Rep 2020;33:100575. 10.1016/j.gore.2020.100575 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types