Concurrent Paraneoplastic Dermatomyositis and Acquired C1 Esterase Inhibitor Deficiency in Primary Laryngeal Small Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Small cell carcinoma is associated with a number of paraneoplastic syndromes. We report a case of a 42-year-old female who presented with primary laryngeal small cell carcinoma associated with concurrent paraneoplastic dermatomyositis and paraneoplastic angioedema secondary to acquired C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency. The patient required extensive treatment for her dermatomyositis including high-dose corticosteroid therapy and intravenous immunoglobulin followed by steroid-sparing disease-modifying immunosuppression. Her angioedema also required multiple lines of therapy including bradykinin inhibitors and human recombinant C1 esterase. We believe this is the first reported case of either of these paraneoplastic syndromes arising from an extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma and highlights the difficulty of its initial diagnosis as well as concurrent management.

Keywords

• dermatomyositis
• head and neck cancer
• immunology
• small cell carcinoma