[Paraneoplastic syndrome as a manifestation of cancer of the hypopharynx].

A 45-year-old male patient had a squamous-cell carcinoma of the laryngopharynx (T1pN2bM0). The first clinical manifestation was polyarthritis of large and small joints and a skin rash. The symptoms were identified as paraneoplastic syndrome associated with squamous-cell carcinoma of the laryngopharynx. After treatment (surgery + radiotherapy), the articular symptoms, initially treated with conventional therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, disappeared. Paraneoplastic syndrome can be defined as a set of physiological signs and symptoms of malignant origin that occur remote from the tumor. Squamous-cell carcinoma is the most frequent malignant tumor of the head and neck that produces paraneoplastic syndrome. We reviewed the most common features associated with malignant tumors and the pathogenic mechanisms involved. We conclude that paraneoplastic disorders can be markers of treatment response and predictors of recurrence.