GIANT PLEURAL TUMOR AND SEVERE HYPOGLYCEMIA: DOEGE-POTTER SYNDROME IN A PREVIOUSLY HEALTHY FEMALE

• Autor(es): Junqueira, Nádia ; Caldeira, João ; Ferreira, Ricardo ; Costa, Filipe ; Silva, Joana ; Monteiro, Teresa ; Nobre, Ângelo
• Data: 2021
• Origem: Portuguese Journal of Cardiac Thoracic and Vascular Surgery
• Tipo de Documento: Artigo científico
• Idioma: Inglês

Descrição

Introduction: Doege–Potter’s syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome, consisting in hypoglycemia and solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura. These tumors represent <5% of all pleural tumours and can only be cured by surgery. In this article, we report a case of a patient presenting with severe hypoglycemia, as the only symptom, and a mass occupying the entire left hemithorax. Case presentation: A54 year old female with severe hypoglycemia, a chest radiography with almost total opacification of the left hemithorax and a computed tomography scan with a mass in the left hemithorax. Surgery was performed and a mass with 30cm × 18cm × 11cm weighing 3195g was resected. The postoperative course was uneventful with immediate resolution of the hypoglycemia. The immunohistochemistry diagnosis was solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura. Conclusions: Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura are very rare. Less than 5% are associated with hypoglycemia, taking the form of Doege-Potter Syndrome. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy have shown low response rate and complete surgical resection is the only procedure that offers cure. This case reports describes a rare giant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura with severe hypoglycemia, successfully treated by surgery. Long-term follow-up of the patient after the surgery is necessary for detection of any possible recurrence.