Cushing's Syndrome Caused by Corticotropin Secretion by Pulmonary Tumorlets
Elif Arioglu, M.D., John Doppman, M.D., Mario Gomes, M.D., David Kleiner, M.D., Ph.D., David Mauro, M.D., Ph.D., Carolee Barlow, M.D., Ph.D., and Dimitris A. Papanicolaou, M.D.
Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.
The term "pulmonary tumorlets" describes multiple microscopicnests of neuroendocrine cells in the lungs.1 Like bronchialcarcinoid tumors and small-cell carcinomas, pulmonary tumorletsarise from Kulchitsky's cells. In the lung the abnormalitiesin these cells range from hyperplasia to malignant transformation,since control over cellular growth is lost.2
Both bronchial carcinoid tumors and small-cell lung carcinomasmay secrete corticotropin in sufficient quantities to causeCushing's syndrome. We describe a patient with Cushing's syndromedue to ectopic secretion of corticotropin in whom the sourceof the excess corticotropin was ultimately found to be hundredsof tumorlets in one lobe of the . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Case Report
Discussion
Source Information
From the Diabetes Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Md. (E.A.); the Department of Radiology, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. (J.D.); the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. (M.G.); the Department of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md. (D.K., D.M.); the National Human Genome Research Institute, Laboratory of Genetic Disease Research and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Md. (C.B.); and the Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Md. (D.A.P.).
Address reprint requests to Dr. Papanicolaou at the Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bldg. 10, Rm. 10N262, 10 Center Dr. MSC 1862, Bethesda, MD 20892-1862.
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