• Adam H Miller and Sai-Ching J Yeung.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
• J Emerg Med. 2016 Apr 1; 50 (4): e187-90.

BackgroundThe concurrence of ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) syndrome (ectopic Cushing syndrome) and cancer is uncommon in the emergency department (ED) setting, but a constellation of nonspecific signs and symptoms can suggest the presence of Cushing syndrome.Case ReportA 65-year-old woman with diabetes visited the ED complaining of severe weight loss, generalized weakness, and hypokalemia. She was treated for hypokalemia and thrush. She was found to have a lung mass with a large pleural effusion. Upon discovery of the suspected malignancy, the patient was referred to the ED of a comprehensive cancer center, where she was diagnosed with ectopic Cushing syndrome and admitted to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment. WHY SHOULD THE EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: The emergency physician should be able to recognize Cushing syndrome in cancer patients so that the paraneoplastic syndrome can be managed to avoid complications during cancer treatment.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

22 keywords...

hide…