Pancoast Tumor-Pancoast Cancer-Pancoast Syndrome

Neoplasm (tumour or cancer) of lungs are many types.


Pancoast tumour is a special type of apical lung tumour (Tumor at the apex of the lung)
Apical neoplasms may invade the brachial or cervical sympathetic plexus to cause severe pain in the distribution of the ulnar nerve or to produce Horner syndrome. Such apical neoplasms are sometimes referred to as Pancoast tumours. and a combination of clinical findings is called Pancoast Syndrome

Symptoms of Horner's syndrome:

• Ipsilateral enophthalmos (enophthalmos is a condition in which eyeball falls back into the socket and ipsilateral means of the affected side. For example, if left sympathetic plexus is damaged, the left eye will sink into the orbit)
• Ptosis (drooping of the eyelid)
• Miosis (contracted pupil)
• Anhidrosis (Lack of sweating)

Pancoast tumour is often accompanied by destruction of first and second rib and sometimes thoracic vertebrae.

Reference: Robbins Basic Pathology
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