Bilateral Vocal Cord Paralysis and Cervicolumbar Radiculopathy as the Presenting Paraneoplastic Manifestations of Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review.
Introduction. Bilateral vocal cord paralysis (BVCP) is a potential medical emergency. The Otolaryngologist plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and management of BVCP and must consider a broad differential diagnosis. We present a rare case of BVCP secondary to anti-Hu paraneoplastic syndrome. Case Presentation. A 58-year-old female presented to an Otolaryngology clinic with a history of progressive hoarseness and dysphagia. Flexible nasolaryngoscopy demonstrated BVCP. Cross-sectional imaging of the brain and vagus nerves was negative. An antiparaneoplastic antibody panel was positive for anti-Hu antibodies. This led to an endobronchial biopsy of a paratracheal lymph node, which confirmed the diagnosis of small cell lung cancer. Conclusion. Paraneoplastic neuropathy is a rare cause of BVCP and should be considered when more common pathologies are ruled out. This is the second reported case of BVCP as a presenting symptom of paraneoplastic syndrome secondary to small cell lung cancer.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Jeffrey C
0000-0002-4865-3735
JC
Yeung
Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
C Elizabeth
CE
Pringle
Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Harmanjatinder S
HS
Sekhon
Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Shaun J
0000-0003-1857-7628
SJ
Kilty
Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Kristian
K
Macdonald
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