[Lung cancer with extra pulmonary symptoms as the chief manifestation. A clinical analysis of 47 cases].

In patients with cancer of the lung, extrapulmonary symptoms can be found before or after the tumor is discovered. In this paper, 47 cases of lung cancer presenting extrapulmonary symptoms as their major clinical manifestation are reported. The symptoms might arise from the central nervous system, bones and joints, esophagus, intestine, etc. Some of the symptoms were due to compression or invasion of the cancer to the adjacent organs. Paraneoplastic syndromes, such as ectopic endocrine syndrome and carcinoid syndrome, were also encountered. Keeping these extrapulmonary manifestations in mind, patients suspicious of having lung cancer should be carefully examined and closely followed up until a correct diagnosis is made.