title: Malignancy-associated gastroparesis: an important and overlooked cause of chronic nausea and vomiting.
abstract: A 69-year-old woman was referred to a gastroenterology clinic with a 1-year history of protracted nausea and postprandial vomiting. She had a background of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with a significant smoking history. Her laboratory work-up including autoimmune screen, coeliac serology and synacthen test were unremarkable. Upper gastrointestinalendoscopy and CT imaging ruled out mucosal and obstructive causes. Gastric emptying studies demonstrated a delayed gastric emptying consistent with diagnosis of gastroparesis. Concurrently, she underwent a CT of the thorax for unresolved consolidation on her chest X-ray. This revealed a locally advanced primary lung carcinoma. In this context, with all other causes excluded, her gastroparesis was deemed to represent a paraneoplastic phenomenon. Gastroparesis is a frequent, under-recognised and important complication of cancer.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors: Dearbhla
authors: D
authors: Kelly
authors: Carthage
authors: C
authors: Moran
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Maher
authors: Seamus
authors: S
authors: O'Mahony
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D018589:Gastroparesis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology*