Cushing's syndrome secondary to a neuroendocrine tumor: relapse after bilateral adrenalectomy.
Bilateral adrenalectomy results in the removal of the site of glucocorticosteroid production thereby eliminating the signs and symptoms of Cushing's syndrome. A case is reported of a middle-aged man with Cushing's syndrome due to an ACTH-producing tumor. The patient initially responded to adrenalectomy but had a fatal relapse. Autopsy showed that the right adrenal bed containing remnants of adrenal tissue. An islet cell carcinoma of the pancreas was thought to be the primary tumor.
D000182:ACTH Syndrome, Ectopic / Q000150:complications*; D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D003480:Cushing Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D009384:Paraneoplastic Endocrine Syndromes / Q000150:complications*; D012008:Recurrence
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone