A case of incomplete Carney's triad

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Pathology

Background:

• A 62-year-old woman presented with a history of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) diagnosed 2 years prior.
• Multiple pulmonary nodules, initially noted 6 years before presentation, showed significant enlargement.
• Surgical intervention was deemed necessary for definitive diagnosis of the pulmonary lesions.

Observation:

• Thoracoscopic segmentectomy of the right lung segments 9 and 10 was performed.
• Histopathological examination revealed pulmonary chondroma as the diagnosis for the enlarged nodules.

Findings:

• The patient's presentation includes a history of GIST and newly diagnosed pulmonary chondroma.
• Carney's triad is defined as a combination of gastric leiomyosarcoma, pulmonary chondroma, and extraadrenal paraganglioma.
• This case may represent an incomplete form of Carney's triad, involving gastric and pulmonary tumors.

Implications:

• Highlights the importance of long-term surveillance for patients with a history of rare tumors.
• Suggests considering Carney's triad in patients with multiple, distinct tumor types.
• Further research into incomplete presentations of Carney's triad is warranted.