Paraneoplastic (non-metastatic) adrenal insufficiency preceded the onset of primary lung cancer by 12 weeks.

Clinically evident adrenal insufficiency associated with lung cancer is a rare entity. Among reported cases, adrenal insufficiency has occurred with or succeeded the primary lung cancer. Adrenal insufficiency has also been secondary to metastasis to the adrenal gland. The present report concerns a 61-year-old man, a chronic smoker, who presented to us with symptomatic adrenal insufficiency. He had no evidence of lung cancer during this visit. The primary lung cancer was only identified 12 weeks later. Additionally, his adrenals showed no evidence of metastasis. Hence his adrenal insufficiency had been a paraneoplastic manifestation of the lung cancer, and it had also preceded the primary by 12 weeks.