Bilateral Virchow nodes: an unusual finding of pulmonary small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma metastasis

Autops Case Rep. 2023 Nov 13:13:e2023455. doi: 10.4322/acr.2023.455. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

An enlarged left-sided supraclavicular node is a signal node for cancer metastasis. In such a case, the enlarged lymph node is often referred to as a Virchow node. The left-sided nature of the node is due to the drainage of the thoracic duct. So, the enlargement of a Virchow node is typically associated with malignancies, including gastrointestinal, pulmonary, and genitourinary carcinomas, in addition to lymphomas. This report documents a particularly unusual finding: bilateral Virchow nodes, representing metastasis of small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma.

Keywords: anatomy; carcinoma, lymph nodes; neoplasm metastasis; neoplasms.

Publication types

  • Case Reports