Case Report

Bilateral Chylothorax as a Unique Presentation of Pancreaticobiliary or Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer

Table 1

The literature search revealed 14 cases of chylothorax with underlying gastric carcinoma.

CaseAgeGenderCancer siteBilateralLDHTriglyceridesProteinsCause of thoracic duct blockage
or unilateral

Segal et al., 198669MaleGastric carcinomaBilateral69 U/L237 mg/dL4.3 g/dLMetastasis

Bautz et al., 199138FemaleSignet ring cell carcinoma of stomachBilateral266 U/L238 mg/dL13.9 g/dLMetastasis

Shibata et al., 199858FemaleSignet ring cell carcinoma of stomachBilateral133 U/L673 mg/dL3.4 g/dLMetastasis

Mogulkoc et al., 199919FemaleSignet ring cell carcinoma (unknown source)Bilateral230 U/L335 mg/dL2.8 g/dLMetastasis

Yamada et al., 200158FemalePoorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinomaBilateral190 U/L115 mg/dL7.0 g/dLMetastasis

Watanabe et al., 200466FemaleSignet ring cell carcinoma of stomachBilateral76 U/L1045 mg/dL3.6g/dLMetastasis

Miyazaki et al., 200764MalePoorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinomaBilateral113 U/L left, 118 U/L right187 mg/dL left, 432 mg/dL right4.0 g/dL Left, 4.1 g/dL RightMetastasis

Majoor et al., 200764MaleGastric carcinomaUnilateral122 U/L38.2 mmol/L31.4 g/LMetastasis

Kayacan et al., 200828FemaleSignet ring cell carcinoma of stomachBilateral7.22 μkat/L1.65 mmol/L33 g/LMetastasis

Miwa et al., 200977FemaleSignet ring cell carcinoma of stomachBilateral239 U/L263 mg/dL3.9 g/dLMetastasis

Yoshizawa et al., 201361FemaleSignet ring cell carcinoma of stomachBilateral605 U/L958 mg/dL5.8 g/dLMetastasis

Devaraj et al., 201423MaleSignet ring cell carcinoma of stomachBilateral172 U/L274 mg/dL3.4 g/dLNarrowing of IJV, lymphangitis

Wu et al., 201663FemalePoorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinomaBilateral136.5 U/L4.43 mmol/LNot reported2Metastasis

Tsuji et al., 201858MalePoorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinomaBilateralNot Reported913 mg/dLNot reportedMetastasis

1Taken on readmission 3 weeks after initial presentation.
2Not reported, 25.1 g/L albumin reported.