Symptoms

The usual modes of presentation of pancoast tumor are:

  1. Arthritis" of Shoulder:

    2. Patients often present to a Rheumatologist or an Orthopedic Surgeon because of shoulder pain. It is not uncommon for these patients to be treated as having arthritis for some time until a CXR is ordered.

  2. Root Pain in the Ulnar Nerve Distribution:

    3. These patients often consult a Neurologist because of nerve root pain along the distribution of the ulnar nerve.

  3. Routine CXR Abnormalities

    4. Occasionally, a patient is referred because of the abnormality detected on a routine chest x-ray. The second finding you should look for is rib destruction.

  4. "Routine Lung Cancer Symptoms"

    5. Some patients present with the classical symptoms of cough, hemoptysis, anorexia and weight loss attributable to a lung lesion.