Phalangeal Metastases From Bronchogenic Carcinoma

BONE metastases are common in bronchogenic carcinoma, but the occurrence of metastases to small bones of the hands and feet is relatively rare.1It is particularly unusual for such metastases to be responsible for the presenting complaint of a patient with lung cancer. We recently encountered two patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung; one had symptoms referrable to such peripheral bone metastases, and one had symptoms simulating gout. Report of Cases Case 1. — A 52-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a two-month history of painful swelling of his right ring finger. For several weeks he had experienced intermittent fever and chills. He had experienced a chronic cough and dyspnea during exertion for a number of years. He had smoked three packs of cigarettes per day for 35 years and had traveled extensively, including a visit to parts of southwestern United States within the past