Palmar fascitis and polyarthritis as a paraneoplastic syndrome associated with ovarian carcinoma: a case report.

This case report concerns a 49-year-old woman whose physical examination was remarkable for symmetrical swollen hands, fingers and palmar fascial thickening with erythema. The fingers showed flexion contractures. Examination also revealed markedly limited bilateral shoulder and limited knee flexion.The patient's symptoms were treated with rehabilitation. The immunological laboratory investigations were normal. A technetium scan showed a slightly increased uptake in both shoulders, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. CT revealed a pelvic solid mass next to the uterus. After the patient underwent a total hysterectomy and anexectomy, the polyarthritis showed a gradual improvement but the contractures in the hands persisted.Palmar fasciitis and polyarthritis syndrome (PFPAS) is an uncommon rheumatic disorder consisting of pain, swelling, stiffness, progressive flexion contractures of both hands and thickening of palmar fascia, with erythrosis. It was first described as a paraneoplastic phenomenon with ovarian carcinoma in 1982.The characteristic hand deformities of PFPA should alert the clinician to search for an underlying malignant disease.