Rapidly progressive squamous lung cancer with peripheral blood eosinophilia in a 25-year-old woman: A case report

Sep 22, 2026

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Solid tumors combined with eosinophilia are a rare clinical presentation. This case report describes squamous carcinoma of the lung with peripheral blood eosinophilia in a 25-year-old woman, developing alongside a period of rapid deterioration and without overt eosinophilia symptoms. After excluding multiple secondary and non-cancerous factors, the diagnosis favored paraneoplastic eosinophilia, while the lack of bone marrow aspiration complicated leukemia exclusion. Glucocorticoids combined with antineoplastic therapy markedly reduced eosinophil levels, supporting early recognition of eosinophils in such cancers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages11

Reading Time28 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Key words

Case report

Diagnosis

Imaging and pathology

Treatment and response

ONCOLOGY LETTERS 31: 213, 2026 Rapidly progressive squamous lung cancer with peripheral blood eosinophilia in a 25-year-old woman: A case report MINGRUI ZHANG 1 , HUANFANG FAN2 , CHUNXIA SUN2 , DEHUI LI2 , JIANGYAGAN2 , YUN HE 1 and JIAQI CHEN 1 1The Graduate School, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050011, P.R. China; 2Second Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050011, P.R. China Received June 30, 2025; Accepted December 1, 2025 DOI: 10. 3892/ol.2026.15568 Abstract. Solid tumors combined with eosinophilia are a rare clinical presentation. The present study reports a case of squamous carcinoma of the lung with peripheral blood eosinophilia that developed concurrent with a period of rapid deterioration, without any obvious clinical symptoms of eosinophilia, in a 25-year-old female patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in such a young patient. The current case favored the diagnosis of paraneoplastic eosinophilia after excluding multiple secondary and non-cancerous factors . However, the lack of bone marrow aspiration results to rule out leukemia posed a clinical diagnostic challenge. The application of glucocorticoids in combination with antineoplastic agents led to a marked decrease in peripheral blood eosinophils . The present case report emphasizes the importance of early recognition of the potential role of eosinophils in squamouslung cancer. The current report aims to provide a reference for the clinical management of similar cases. Introduction Peripheral blood eosinophilia is arare condition inpatients with solid tumors, with an overall incidence of only 0.5-1.0%(1) . The condition occurs predominantly in colorectal, breast, ovarian, oral cavity and Hodgkin's lymphomas (2), and has rarely been reported in lung cancers, especially squamouslung cancer. Eosinophils are non-differentiated leukocytes derived from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow, which serve roles in immunomodulation, mediating tissue repair, maintaining the stability of the internal environment and killing parasites (3) . High levels of eosinophils in lung Correspondence to: Professor Huanfang Fan, Second Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 389 Zhongshan East Road, Chang'an, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050011, P.R. China E-mail: [fhf701024@163.com](fhf701024@163.com) Key words: lung squamous carcinoma, eosinophilia, malignant tumor, case report cancer are closely associated with decreased survival time and increase the risk of the metastasis of lung cancer (4). Typically, eosinophilia of a paraneoplastic nature can be diagnosed by excluding non-cancerous factors, such as allergies and parasitic infections. Most patients do not exhibit obvious clinical manifestations; however, the persistent elevation of eosinophil levels is likely to lead to eventual multi-organ damage. Treatment of eosinophilia of a paraneoplastic nature usually involves tumor resection, chemotherapy or corticosteroids. The present report describes a case of eosinophiliain a 25-year-old female patient with squamous lung cancer. The lung cancer suddenly deteriorated with a sudden rise in peripheral blood eosinophil levels that did not cause significant clinical symptoms. Glucocorticosteroids in combination with antitumor drugs were administered to counteract the condition and prevent target organ damage, and the peripheral blood eosinophil levels showed marked improvement. The present report discusses the various factors that trigger eosinophilia and the potential role of eosinophils in solid tumors to provide a reference for the early diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors associated with eosinophilia in the future. Case report A 25-year-old woman who presented with a cough and bloody sputum without obvious triggers was admitted to The First Affil

FAQs

What clinical finding characterized the lung cancer in this 25-year-old woman?

The patient presented with cough and bloody sputum, and her lung biopsy confirmed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the right lower lobe.

Why was paraneoplastic eosinophilia favored in this case?

The diagnosis was favored after excluding multiple secondary and non-cancerous factors such as other potential causes of eosinophilia.

How did treatment affect peripheral blood eosinophil levels?

Glucocorticoids combined with antineoplastic agents led to a marked decrease in peripheral blood eosinophils.

Sep 22, 2026

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