Man suffering from lung cancer develops breasts

In a rare medical anomaly reported at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here, a man suffering from lung cancer has developed breasts. The case has become a subject of international debate, getting reported in premier medical journal The Lancet.

According to the case study reported in the April issue of the journal, a 60-year-old labourer (name withheld) reported at the department of pulmonary medicine, PGIMER, in September 2012 with complaint of pain in the right shoulder, cough and weight loss.

During a physical examination, doctors found that he was suffering from gynaecomastia - a condition in which breasts start developing among men. He was also found afflicted with galactorrhoea, a condition in which breasts start oozing milk.

"We detected that it was a case of gynaecomastia, galactorrhoea and lung cancer," said Dr Navneet Singh, an assistant professor in the department, and a co-author of the case study.

"Gynaecomastia associated with galactorrhoea is a very rare phenomenon of lung cancer. A review of world medical literature reveals that there are just two previously reported cases of lung cancer associated with galactorrhoea," said Dr D Behera, a professor in the department and another co-author of the case study.

As per the study report, the labourer had a history of smoking 20 bidis a day for the past 40 years.
"It is rare that a cancer starts producing cells which lead to such changes. The last time I saw a similar case was in 1987," said Dr Behera
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As per The Lancet report, this is the first reported case of lung cancer associated with galactorrhoea which was resolved with systematic chemotherapy. The labourer visits PGIMER periodically for treatment.

Source: http://to.ly/m5Nm