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Previous Volume 339:883-886 September 24, 1998 Number 13 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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The term "pulmonary tumorlets" describes multiple microscopic nests of neuroendocrine cells in the lungs.¹ Like bronchial carcinoid tumors and small-cell carcinomas, pulmonary tumorlets arise from Kulchitsky's cells. In the lung the abnormalities in these cells range from hyperplasia to malignant transformation, since control over cellular growth is lost.²

Both bronchial carcinoid tumors and small-cell lung carcinomas may secrete corticotropin in sufficient quantities to cause Cushing's syndrome. We describe a patient with Cushing's syndrome due to ectopic secretion of corticotropin in whom the source of the excess corticotropin was ultimately found to be hundreds of 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.

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Batista, D. L., Riar, J., Keil, M., Stratakis, C. A. (2007). Diagnostic Tests for Children Who Are Referred for the Investigation of Cushing Syndrome. Pediatrics 120: e575-e586 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Aubry, M.-C., Thomas, C. F. Jr, Jett, J. R., Swensen, S. J., Myers, J. L. (2007). Significance of Multiple Carcinoid Tumors and Tumorlets in Surgical Lung Specimens: Analysis of 28 Patients. Chest 131: 1635-1643 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ilias, I., Torpy, D. J., Pacak, K., Mullen, N., Wesley, R. A., Nieman, L. K. (2005). Cushing's Syndrome Due to Ectopic Corticotropin Secretion: Twenty Years' Experience at the National Institutes of Health. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 90: 4955-4962 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• TORPY, D. J., CHEN, C. C., MULLEN, N., DOPPMAN, J. L., CARRASQUILLO, J. A., CHROUSOS, G. P., NIEMAN, L. K. (1999). Lack of Utility of 111In-Pentetreotide Scintigraphy in Localizing Ectopic ACTH Producing Tumors: Follow-Up of 18 Patients. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 84: 1186-1192 [Abstract] [Full Text]