Horner’s syndrome secondary to thymic adenocarcinoma: Case report Síndrome de Horner secundario a adenocarcinoma primario de timo: reporte de caso

Abstract

Objective: To describe the case of a patient suffering from Horner’s syndrome of an unusual cause, that is, a primary thymic adenocarcinoma. She attended the ophthalmology service at Hospital de San José.
Study design: A case report.
Methods: A review of the literature was performed on Horner’s syndrome emphasizing on the causes associated with mediastinal lesions particularly thymic carcinomas, given their low incidence and rare occurrence.
Case report: A 41-year-old woman with a six month history of right hemicranial headache radiating to the neck and right arm, paresthesias and right hemifacial anhidrosis, right upper eyelid ptosis and miosis of the right pupil. A thymic neoplasm classified as an adenocarcinoma was diagnosed by imaging tests and evidencing the presence of Horner’s syndrome. The tumor was resected and followed by adjuvant oncologic therapy.
Conclusion: A rare cause of Horner’s syndrome is preganglionic compression of the sympathetic pathway by a mediastinal mass such as a thymic adenocarcinoma, one of the most uncommon tumors involving the thymus and the mediastinum.