A case of digital autoamputation with concurrent Sjogren's syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, and ovarian cancer

Abstract

Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is characterized by focal lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands. SS mostly affects middle-aged women, and results in an increased risk of developing malignant neoplasm, particularly hematologic malignancies. The concurrent occurrence of SS, ovarian cancer, and autoimmune disease is very rare. Here, we present a case with postoperative digital autoamputation in a young Sjogren's patient diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian cancer. The patient was later also diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome. Clinicians should note that female genital tract malignancies might occur in autoimmune diseases. In addition, when planning for surgery, they should also be aware of the possibility of another autoimmune disease and different patterns of postoperative complications such as venous thromboembolism and thrombophlebitis. A multidisciplinary approach is required to achieve successful management. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the second case with concurrent SS and ovarian cancer and the first case with concurrent SS, antiphospholipid syndrome, and ovarian cancer.

Keywords

• antiphospholipid syndrome
• autoimmune diseases
• high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma
• sjogren's syndrome
• venous thromboembolism