SBA — Single Best Answer · Review
Question 397
Pathology → General
Classification
Question
SSBAQuestion Header
A patient with small-cell carcinoma of the lung develops proximal muscle weakness as a manifestation remote from the primary tumour and unrelated to direct metastatic spread. Which paraneoplastic syndrome best fits this presentation?
Question Stem
Select the single best answer.
Options
A
Trousseau syndrome
B
Lambert-Eaton syndrome
C
Carcinoid syndrome
D
Nephrotic syndrome
E
Acanthosis nigricans
Explanation
Lambert-Eaton syndrome is a paraneoplastic manifestation associated with small-cell carcinoma of the lung. A paraneoplastic syndrome produces systemic effects that cannot be explained by direct or distant tumour spread or by normal hormone production of the tissue of origin.
Option Validity
A) Trousseau syndrome is characterised by migratory thrombophlebitis rather than proximal muscle weakness.
C) Carcinoid syndrome is not the neuromuscular paraneoplastic manifestation described.
D) Nephrotic syndrome is a different tumour-associated systemic manifestation and does not explain this neuromuscular presentation.
E) Acanthosis nigricans is a cutaneous paraneoplastic manifestation rather than a cause of proximal muscle weakness.
Further Reading
Saxena R. Textbook for MRCOG-1. Chapter 5: Pathology. General Pathology, pp.161–175.