[Multiple endocrine neoplasia associated with multiple lipomas].
BACKGROUND
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) is characterized by tumors of the parathyroids, the neuroendocrine pancreas-duodenum and the anterior pituitary, but shows also a wide clinical variety of other symptoms.


METHODS
We present a case of a 68-year-old woman with a 18 year history of MEN-1 consisting of gastrinoma and primary hyperparathyroidism. Beside these typical symptoms, the patient suffered from thyroid adenoma, malignant kidney tumor and multiple subcutaneous lipomas.


RESULTS
While the number of autopsies declined from 113 in 1977 to 66 in 1984, the number of diagnostic techniques used increased continuously (94, 107, 118 and 140, amounting to 0.83, 1.34, 1.76 and 2.12 per patient). The premortal detection of abdominal abnormalities increased globally from 16.8 to 32.5%. This increase was largely due to better diagnosis of liver and gallbladder abnormalities which were in most cases of little relevance.


CONCLUSIONS
Whether these non-endocrine tumors are associated to MEN-1 is unclear and has to be tested by examining the chromosomal regions 11q13 and 11q24/25 of the tumors sample, in which the possible MEN-1 involved tumor suppressor genes are located.
Hofmann
M
M
Abteilung Endokrinologie und Stoffwechsel, Medizinische Universitätsklinik Heidelberg.
Schilling
T
T
Heilmann
P
P
Haisken
O
O
Wüster
C
C
Brandi
M L
ML
Ziegler
R
R
Nawroth
P P
PP
D000368:Aged; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11; D005260:Female; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008067:Lipoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D018761:Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D010375:Pedigree; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*