Skeletal Muscle Metastasis and Elevated beta-HCG Level Secondary to Tongue Cancer: a Case Report and Review of Literature.
10.3904/kjm.2015.89.6.719
- Author:
Jun Soo HAM
1
;
Keum Bit HWANG
;
Subin HWANG
;
Suk Hyeon JEONG
;
Ji Yun LEE
;
Se Hoon LEE
;
Keunchil PARK
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. kpark@skku.edu
- Publication Type:Clinical Trial ; Case Report
- Keywords:
Tongue neoplasms;
Head and neck neoplasms;
Chorionic gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human;
Muscle, Skeletal
- MeSH:
Biopsy;
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell;
Chorionic Gonadotropin;
Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human;
Drug Therapy;
Female;
Head;
Head and Neck Neoplasms;
Humans;
Muscle, Skeletal*;
Neck;
Neoplasm Metastasis*;
Palliative Care;
Paraneoplastic Syndromes;
Pregnancy;
Thigh;
Tongue Neoplasms*;
Tongue*;
Trophoblasts
- From:Korean Journal of Medicine
2015;89(6):719-722
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Metastases to skeletal muscle and paraneoplastic syndromes involving beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) production are an extremely rare manifestation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. We report a patient with a beta-HCG-secreting squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue with diffuse metastases involving skeletal muscle. A 47 year old female, who was being treated heavily with palliative chemotherapy for metastatic tongue cancer, was admitted with a palpable thigh mass and pain. A magnetic resonance image showed an intramuscular metastasis in the thigh. Ultrasound-guided biopsy of the thigh mass confirmed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. She was scheduled for enrollment into a clinical trial; however, a positive serum beta-HCG test was noticed. There was no evidence of pregnancy or a trophoblastic or non-trophoblastic tumor secreting beta-HCG. Finally, she was revealed to have a paraneoplastic syndrome with diffuse metastases and was ultimately referred for palliative care. We review the literature of previously reported cases of an increase of beta-HCG in patients with head and neck cancer.
