Carney's triad: role of transthoracic needle biopsy

A triad of gastric epithelioid leiomyosarcoma, functioning extra-adrenal paraganglioma, and pulmonary chondroma, has been described in 7 patients, and a partial expression of this tumor complex consisting of 2 of the 3 tumors in at least 11 others. Sixteen of these 18 patients were female. The variable presentation and course of these patients warrants special attention. We present the nineteenth reported case: a 26-yr-old woman with a pulmonary chondroma and a gastric epithelioid leiomyosarcoma. It is suggested that in cases of this type thoracotomy may not be necessary for the diagnosis of the pulmonary chondroma, and extensive gastric resection of the leiomyosarcoma may be lifesaving.