title: Pseudo-porphyria in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: An elderly woman was found to have hepatocellular carcinoma and, incidental to this, markedly elevated levels of porphobilinogen in urine and serum. The delta-aminolevulinic acid levels in urine and serum were normal, but there was a distinct increase of porphyrins in urine and feces. Neither the patient nor her family gave a history suggestive of a clinical porphyria. The patient died from the carcinoma without ever exhibiting porphyric symptoms. It is assumed that the hepatocellular carcinoma produced the excessive amounts of porphobilinogen.
mesh_terms: D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications*; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms; D011162:Porphobilinogen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine; D011164:Porphyrias / Q000209:etiology*; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D011166:Porphyrins; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D011162:Porphobilinogen