Henry Khunrath Pancoast

Henry Khunrath Pancoast (1875 – 1939) was an American radiologist.

The Pancoast tumour and Pancoast Syndrome are named after him. First Professor of Radiology in America

Major work on studying the healthy chest; interpretation of silicosis, tuberculosis and pneumoconiosis X-ray; bismuth shadow interrogation of the intracraial lesions; radiotherapeutic intervention

Biography

Born in Philadelphia, USA on 26 February 1875 (father Dr Seth Pancoast)
1892 – Graduated Friend’s Central School, Pennsylvania. Delayed plans to enter medical school due to the premature death of both his parents. Became a bank teller for 2 years and started Medical School in 1894 with no undergraduate premedical preparation
1898 – Graduated medical school from the University of Pennsylvania
1900 – Commenced surgical training Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
1903 – Asked to join the Hospital ‘Roentgen Ray Department’ as a sciagrapher. He later remarked: “How easy it was in those days to become a radiologist by the shortest affirmative reply!“
1911 – First Professor of Roentgenology (Radiology) in the United States
1915 – Use of radium to treat inoperable carcinoma, brain tumors, uterine hemorrhage, warts, and moles
Died on May 20 1939

Key Medical Attributions:

Major Publications

Pancoast HK. Importance of careful roentgen-ray investigation of apical chest tumors. Journal of the American Medical Association, Chicago, 1924, 83: 1407. [JAMA text]
Pancoast HK. Superior pulmonary sulcus tumor. Tumor characterised by pain, Horner’s syndrome, destruction of bone and atrophy of hand muscles. Journal of the American Medical Association,1932, 99: 1391-1396. [JAMA text]
Pancoast HK. The Head and Neck in Roentgen Diagnosis. Thomas 1942.

Controversies

Pancoast was not the first to describe the neoplasm or the associated syndrome associated with local invasion
British surgeon Edward Selleck Hare (1812-1838) first described in 1838.
Publio Ciuffini described lung apical tumor with local invasion in 1911.
Pancoast described three cases in 1924 and in 1932 described the tumor as a “superior pulmonary sulcus tumor”. Pancoast incorrectly described the tumors as ‘arsing from epitheleal rests of the 5th brachial cleft’.
J. W. Tobías correctly surmised the tumor site of origin as bronchopulmonary tissue in his 1932 publication

References

Pancoast HK. Importance of careful roentgen-ray investigation of apical chest tumors. Journal of the American Medical Association, Chicago, 1924, 83: 1407. [JAMA text]
Pancoast HK. Superior pulmonary sulcus tumor. Tumor characterised by pain, Horner’s syndrome, destruction of bone and atrophy of hand muscles. Journal of the American Medical Association,1932, 99: 1391-1396. [JAMA text]
Hare, ES. Tumor involving certain nerves. London Medical Gazette, 2nd series, 1838/39, 1: 16-18.
Tobías, JW. Sindrome ápico-costo-vertebral doloroso por tumor apexiano. Su valor diagnóstico en el cáncer primitivo pulmonare. Revista medica Latino-americana, Buenos Aires, 1932, 17: 1522-1557.
The Pancoast Era – University of Pennsylvania [PDF Full text]
Arcasoy, SM. Jett, JR. Superior Pulmonary Sulcus Tumors and Pancoast’s Syndrome N Engl J Med 1997; 337:1370-1376 [Full Text] [PMID 9358132]

Our Pancoast thinks everyone crazy

Who works without skiagrams hazy,

In fact you would laugh

To hear the whole staff

Rave on as if they were X-rasy

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine – Scope Yearbook – 1912