Resolution of Hypertrophic Pulmonary Osteoarthropathy after Radiotherapy in the Absence of Lung Tumor Response

Abstract

Bone scintigraphy revealed a pattern consistent with hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy in a 59 year-old male with severe diffuse long bone and joint pain. CT, followed by biopsy, confirmed bronchogenic carcinoma. Shortly after instituting radiotherapy to the primary lung tumor, painful osteoarthropathy and abnormal bone scan findings cleared completely despite rapid increase in size of the tumor. The findings in this case suggest that radiotherapy directed at the primary tumor can reverse bone scan abnormalities and alleviate painful symptoms of osteoarthropathy even when no primary tumor response occurs.