Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy inactivated by antitumor chemotherapy.

A case of hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPO) associated with carcinoma of the lung is reported. HPO in this patient was documented by Tc-99m methylene diphosphonate scans over a period of seven months. He was treated solely by antitumor chemotherapy, and his HPO was inactivated in three months. Whereas most reports refer to surgery, vagotomy, or radiotherapy for the treatment of lung carcinoma, this case demonstrates the effect of palliative chemotherapy in inactivating HPO in a rather short period of time.