Secondary Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy

A 55 year old woman with a significant smoking history presented with a 1.5 year history of diffuse joint pain, clubbing, and skin thickening of the fingers and toes. Radiographs revealed symmetric periostitis of the tubular bones, consistent with hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. Further evaluation identified a large anterior mediastinal mass, which biopsy confirmed as poorly differentiated non small cell lung cancer. The patient was diagnosed with secondary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy due to lung cancer. Despite initiating systemic chemotherapy, she succumbed to pneumonia two months later. This case highlights the importance of recognizing hypertrophic osteoarthropathy as a paraneoplastic syndrome, particularly in patients with a smoking history and unexplained musculoskeletal symptoms.

A 55 year old woman with a significant smoking history presented with a 1.5 year history of diffuse joint pain, clubbing, and skin thickening of the fingers and toes. Radiographs revealed symmetric periostitis of the tubular bones, consistent with hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. Further evaluation identified a large anterior mediastinal mass, which biopsy confirmed as poorly differentiated non small cell lung cancer. The patient was diagnosed with secondary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy due to lung cancer. Despite initiating systemic chemotherapy, she succumbed to pneumonia two months later. This case highlights the importance of recognizing hypertrophic osteoarthropathy as a paraneoplastic syndrome, particularly in patients with a smoking history and unexplained musculoskeletal symptoms.