Eleven Patients With Testicular Leydig Cell Tumors

Abstract

We present the sonographic and magnetic resonance imaging findings of Leydig cell tumors in a series of patients, along with a brief review of the literature. We evaluated the sonographic features of 11 cases of Leydig cell tumors, including echogenicity, size, margins, and patterns of vascularity. The magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of 9 patients were also assessed, with special attention to the appearance of the tumors on T2-weighted imaging and postcontrast T1-weighted imaging. Seven tumors were hypoechoic, and 4 were almost isoechoic. Ten patients showed various patterns of hypervascularity in the tumors, combined in some cases with feeding vessels. One case presented with a single feeding vessel. The tumors showed homogeneous or heterogeneous low signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging and marked enhancement on postcontrast T1-weighted imaging. The small size of these tumors, the various patterns of vascularity on color and power Doppler sonography, and the marked enhancement on postcontrast T1-weighted imaging are considered valuable but generally nonspecific for identification of these tumors.

Ultrasound of a prepubertal Leydig cell tumour of the testis

“…Colour imaging often shows hypervascularity of the tumour with prominent peripheral and circumferential blood. A halo or hyperechoic rim, similar to that seen in this case, was noted in 3 of 11 cases described by Tsitouridis et al (2014) and has also been documented in a further case report…”

“…Leydig cell tumours of the testis can have a varied appearance on ultrasound, although commonly appear as well circumscribed, hypoechoic lesions without internal calcifications . A range of diameters are described in the literature, with dimensions between 30 and 50 mm noted in studies of predominately adult cohorts; however, dimensions less than 10 mm appear more typical in children . Colour imaging often shows hypervascularity of the tumour with prominent peripheral and circumferential blood.…”

A rare testicular tumor with elevated alkaline phosphatase

“…MRI with contrast might distinguish LCTs with marked enhancement on the contrary to other testicular tumors (9). Computed tomography would be helping to reveal…”

The legacy of the F344 rat as a cancer bioassay model (a retrospective summary of three common F344 rat neoplasms)

“…1985 ; Tsitouridis et al. 2014 ). Histopathologically, these tumors are characterized by sheets or septated lobules of minimally pleomorphic low N:C ratio cells.…”

“…Nevertheless, a clear association has not been found between LCTs and undescended testis, and the etiology of LCTs in humans is still largely unknown (Tsitouridis et al. 2014 ).…”