A patient with lung cancer develops ptosis, miosis, and anhidrosis on one side. This constellation is known as?

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Multiple Choice

A patient with lung cancer develops ptosis, miosis, and anhidrosis on one side. This constellation is known as?

Horner's syndrome is produced when the sympathetic nerves supplying the eye and face are disrupted. The classic sign set—ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid), miosis (constricted pupil), and anhidrosis (loss of facial sweating) on the same side—stems from loss of sympathetic input to the muscles that elevate the eyelid, dilate the pupil, and innervate sweat glands. In lung cancer, especially an apical tumor near the thoracic inlet (a Pancoast tumor), invasion of the sympathetic chain can cause this exact constellation. While this triad points to Horner's syndrome, a Pancoast tumor is a related condition that can accompany Horner's by involving nearby structures like the brachial plexus. Other conditions listed don’t produce this specific combination of facial ptosis, miosis, and anhidrosis.

Horner's syndrome is produced when the sympathetic nerves supplying the eye and face are disrupted. The classic sign set—ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid), miosis (constricted pupil), and anhidrosis (loss of facial sweating) on the same side—stems from loss of sympathetic input to the muscles that elevate the eyelid, dilate the pupil, and innervate sweat glands. In lung cancer, especially an apical tumor near the thoracic inlet (a Pancoast tumor), invasion of the sympathetic chain can cause this exact constellation.

While this triad points to Horner's syndrome, a Pancoast tumor is a related condition that can accompany Horner's by involving nearby structures like the brachial plexus. Other conditions listed don’t produce this specific combination of facial ptosis, miosis, and anhidrosis.

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