Unusual Presentation of Thymic Carcinoma: Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is characterized by clubbing and periosteal new bone formation along the shaft of the long bones of the extremities. Although various intrathoracic malignancies have been associated with the development of HOA, it has been extremely rare for HOA to occur in a patient with a thymic carcinoma. Recently, we experienced a 63-year-old woman diagnosed as a thymic carcinoma with hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. She had both digital clubbing and cortical thickening in her lower extremities identified radiologically. We herein describe this case with a review of the literature.

A Case of Secondary Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy in association with Lung Abscess / 결핵

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy(HOA) is a systemic disorder primary affecting the bones, joints, and soft tissues and characterized by several(or all) of the followings ; 1) Clubbing of digits, 2) Persistent new bone formation particulary involving long bones of the distal extremites, 3) Symmetric arthritis-like changes in the joints and periarticular tissue, most commonly the ankles, knees, wrist, and elbows, 4) Increased thickness of the subcutaneous soft tissues in the distal one-third of the arms and legs, and 5) Neurovascular changes of the hands and feet, including chronic erythema, paresthesis, and increase sweating. Most of cases of HOA are secondary to intrathoracic neoplasms, while the remaining few cases are secondary to other disease in the chest or elsewhere. We experienced a case of HOA in association with lung abscess in 26-yr-old male and reported with a review of literatures.