1. Gynaecomastia in a patient with a hCG producing giant cell carcinoma of the lung
- Author
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R Moll, J. Beyer, A. Bockisch, Thomas Forst, A. Pfützner, Hendrik Lehnert, E Kustner, and U. Cordes
- Subjects
Giant Cell Carcinoma ,endocrine system ,medicine.medical_specialty ,urogenital system ,medicine.drug_class ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Respiratory disease ,General Medicine ,Biology ,medicine.disease ,Endocrinology ,Giant-cell carcinoma of the lung ,Internal medicine ,Internal Medicine ,medicine ,Endocrine system ,Gonadotropin ,hormones, hormone substitutes, and hormone antagonists ,Testosterone ,Immunostaining ,Hormone - Abstract
Gynaecomastia, or enlargement of the male breast may result from various endocrine dysfunctions and often reflects ectopic production of substances such as hCG and estradiol. We report on the case of a 30 year old man who presented with gynaecomastia and elevated plasma levels of hCG, estradiol and testosterone. As a result of several diagnostic procedures such as selective venous sampling and magnetic resonance tomography (MRT), a hCG producing tumor of the upper lobe of the left lung was found. This hormonal overproduction induced an enhanced secretion of estradiol and testosterone in the testicular tissue. Histology revealed a giant cell carcinoma with positive immunostaining for hCG. This case report further underlines the necessity of an intensive search for ectopic beta-hCG production due to malignant tumours, in particular in the adult.
- Published
- 2009