Small cell lung cancer with relapsing polychondritis: A report of one case and the review of literature

The present study reports the clinical data of a patient with small cell lung cancer who developed relapsing polychondritis. We report a case of a 57-year-old female presented with cough, expectoration, and fever. A Computed Tomography (CT) scan performed at the hospital revealed diffuse thickening of bronchial walls in both lungs. Bronchoscopy revealed that the tracheal mucosa was thickened, narrowed, and collapsed, and the bronchoscope could pass through. The bronchial mucosa on both sides was thickened and edematous, the surface was rough, each bronchus was narrow, and the intervertebral ridges were widened. Needle biopsy: considering small cell carcinoma in combination with immunohistochemical results. Her symptom was not improved after anti-infective therapy. The left auricle was red and swollen, the auricle collapsed, and the left eye had subconjunctival hemorrhage during her hospitalization without obvious cause. After multidisciplinary consultation, pulmonary small cell lung cancer cT0N2Mx rumen lymph node metastasis and RP were considered. Treatment: Prednisone, orally for RP. Chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy was given for small cell lung cancer. The chemotherapy regimen was carboplatin combined with etoposide. The patient has already been followed for 1 year after receiving chemoradiotherapy; the condition of the patient is stable at present. Based on the case of our patient, for cases of RP with symptoms such as auricle chondritis, ocular inflammatory disease, and nasal chondritis, we should pay great attention to whether the case is caused by lung cancer with relapsing polychondritis. Because of the rarity of the disease, the clinician should improve the recognition of the disease in order to strive for early diagnosis and therapy.