Lung carcinoma presenting with pathologic femur fracture and false-positive pregnancy test result

Brandon C. Maughan, Achyut Kamat

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

β-Human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) assays are routinely used to test for pregnancy. However, βhCG may be elevated in conditions other than pregnancy. We describe a case of metastatic lung adenocarcinoma presenting with a pathologic femur fracture and a false-positive urine pregnancy test. Lung cancer is the most common nongestational malignancy that produces βhCG among reproductive-age women. Emergency physicians should consider this rare cause of a positive pregnancy test result in women who deny recent sexual intercourse, especially if the patient is older than 40 years, has a history of tobacco use, or presents with respiratory complaints.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)378-380
Number of pages3
JournalAnnals of emergency medicine
Volume60
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2012
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Emergency Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Lung carcinoma presenting with pathologic femur fracture and false-positive pregnancy test result'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this