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Pituitary insufficiency, inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion, and carcinoma of the bronchus
Author(s) -
Epstein Sol,
Ranchod Mahendra,
Goldswain Peter R. T.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197308)32:2<476::aid-cncr2820320228>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - hypopituitarism , medicine , vasopressin , antidiuretic , endocrinology , pituitary gland , autopsy , hormone , hypothalamus , carcinoma , pathology , endocrine system , pituitary tumors
A 50‐year‐old man presented with the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) and clinical and biochemical hypopituitarism. The clinical assessment was confirmed at autopsy where a bronchogenic oatcell carcinoma was found to have metastasized to the pituitary gland and hypothalamus. In addition, electron microscopy of the tumor revealed neurosecretory‐type granules, and assay of the tumor showed it to be the source of ADH, which was probably arginine vasopressin. This appears to be a rare case showing: 1. clinical hypopituitarism due to secondary malignant deposits in the pituitary itself; 2. the combination of a bronchial carcinoma producing both SIADH and hypopituitarism and only the second reported case demonstrating 3. secretory granules of endocrine type on electron microscopy in an ADH‐secreting bronchial carcinoma.