title: Squamous cell carcinoma of the thymus with paraneoplastic hypercalcemia.
abstract: Primary thymic carcinoma is a rare neoplasm that in contradistinction to thymoma, is not supposed to be associated with a paraneoplastic syndrome. A 73-year-old man, with new onset of disorientation, was found to have an elevated serum calcium level as the cause. Computed tomography demonstrated a mediastinal mass, pericardial invasion, and metastases to the lung. Examination of a biopsy specimen revealed thymic squamous cell carcinoma. Thus, a paraneoplastic syndrome, in this case hypercalcemia, does not exclude primary carcinoma of the thymus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Chicago Hospitals, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Negron-Soto
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Cascade
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000209:etiology*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000209:etiology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed