DOI: 10.12890/2026_006232

Severe cholestatic jaundice as the initial manifestation of radiologically occult metastatic prostate cancer: an icteric variant of Stauffer syndrome

Authors

  • Mariana Santa Barbara Medeiros Hospital Luxemburgo, Instituto Mário Penna, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  • Adriana Rassilan Vilanova Hospital Luxemburgo, Instituto Mário Penna, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  • Laura Caroline Führ Hospital Luxemburgo, Instituto Mário Penna, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  • Maria Luiza Assunção Azevedo Hospital Luxemburgo, Instituto Mário Penna, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

marimedeiros10@hotmail.com

Keywords

Stauffer syndrome, paraneoplastic cholestasis, prostate cancer, cholestatic jaundice

Abstract

Stauffer syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic hepatic dysfunction classically associated with renal cell carcinoma and increasingly recognised in association with other malignancies. The icteric variant, characterised by clinically apparent jaundice and marked hyperbilirubinaemia, is particularly uncommon. We report the case of a 75-year-old man who presented with progressive cholestatic jaundice, with total bilirubin levels peaking at approximately 20 mg/dl. An extensive diagnostic workup including laboratory testing, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, cross-sectional imaging, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and liver biopsy excluded biliary obstruction, hepatic metastasis and primary hepatobiliary disease. Due to the absence of prostate abnormalities on imaging and lack of lower urinary tract symptoms, prostate cancer was not initially suspected. The diagnosis was ultimately established through biopsy of a splenic lesion, which confirmed metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma on immunohistochemistry. Serum prostate-specific antigen was measured only after histological confirmation and was markedly elevated. Following surgical androgen deprivation therapy, there was rapid and sustained improvement in cholestasis, supporting the diagnosis of icteric Stauffer syndrome secondary to prostate cancer.

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References

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Published

2026-07-10

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 7 (2026)

Categories

How to Cite

1.
Santa Barbara Medeiros M, Rassilan Vilanova A, Führ LC, Assunção Azevedo ML. Severe cholestatic jaundice as the initial manifestation of radiologically occult metastatic prostate cancer: an icteric variant of Stauffer syndrome. EJCRIM [Internet]. 2026 Jul. 10 [cited 2026 Nov. 3];13(7). Available from: https://ejcrim.com/index.php/ejcrim/article/view/6232