pica and Lung-Neoplasms

A patient with lung cancer treated by radiation and in remission presented with a two-month history of compulsive eating of raw, chilled potatoes. Suspicion of a pica due to iron-deficiency anemia was confirmed after complete laboratory evaluation. The source of iron loss was found to be gastrointestinal bleeding. Therapy with iron sulfate was begun, with a subsequent increase in the hemoglobin level; the pica ceased within one week of initiation of therapy. If searched for, pica is a common manifestation of iron deficiency; however, this patient apparently represents the first report of geomelophagia. Appropriate investigation of compulsive eating habits might lead to the diagnosis of iron deficiency and also allay patients' anxieties toward their behavior.

Topics: Aged; Anemia, Hypochromic; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Female; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Pica; Vegetables