Patient With Leukocytosis and Persistent Dry Cough

Abstract

An 83-year-old man who was a nonsmoker with no history of systemic disease was transferred to the Veterans Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System from an outside hospital due to marked leukocytosis (white blood cell [WBC] count, 22.5 × 10/μL). He reported a 3-month history of persistent dry cough, which required several primary care physician (PCP) evaluations. He was initially treated for an upper respiratory tract infection without adequate response. Instead, his symptoms progressed, and he presented with associated hoarseness and unintentional 26-pound weight loss. The patient’s physical examination was remarkable for left-sided decreased breath sounds. Laboratory tests confirmed leukocytosis (WBC, 20.0 × 10/μL), and his radiographic chest X-ray (Figure 1) showed a left upper lobe mass, confirmed by computed tomography (CT) (Figure 2) in which mediastinal lymphadenopathy also was seen. The abdominal/pelvic CT showed renal and bilateral adrenal lesions suggestive of metastatic disease. A core needle biopsy from the anterior component of the mediastinal mass showed pleomorphic cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, spindle configuration, and mitotic figures (Figure 3). Immunohistochemistry was positive for pancytokeratin, CK7, and vimentin.