Acromegaly caused by ectopic growth hormone–releasing hormone secretion by a carcinoid bronchial tumor: A rare entity

Abstract

ctopic secretion of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is a rare cause of acromegaly. [1][2][3][4][5] The most common tumors secreting GHRH are bronchial carcinoids and pancreatic islet cell tumors. Differential diagnosis of pituitary adenoma is necessary to avoid unnecessary pituitary surgery and damage to the pituitary gland. Rarely, that syndrome is secondary to a carcinoid bronchial tumor. We present a case of a synchronous GHRH-secreting bronchial carcinoid and a pituitary adenoma in a patient with acromegaly.

Multiple bronchioloalveolar carcinomas in acromegaly: A potential role of insulin-like growth factor I in carcinogenesis

“…Since all of the lesions were small (less than 6 mm) and represented separate segments without lymphovascular invasion or pleural involvement, multifocality caused by an aerosol, a lymphatic, or a hematogenous spread mechanism, seemed unlikely. Correlation between acromegaly and bronchial carcinoid tumor due to ectopic growth hormone-releasing hormone production have been reported as rare phenomenon [9], although the relationship between pituitary adenoma and lung cancer has not been reported well. IGF-I, or also known as somatomedin C, is a family of peptides that plays important roles in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation [7,10,11].…”

The Diagnosis and Treatment of Bronchopulmonary Carcinoid

“…In contrast to gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) N ET (10%), carcinoid syndrome is very rare in bronchopulmonary carcinoid (<1%); however, again differently to GEP-N ET, the carcinoid syndrome can occur even in the absence of hepatic metastases (22,23). Rarely, hormonally active bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors are also the cause of Cushing's syndrome or acromegaly (24,25).…”

Targeted Systemic Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumors: Current Options and Future Perspectives

“…Ectopic GHRH production is predominantly encountered in patients with lung carcinoids [ 120 ]. Although some patients have evident clinical features of increased GH production, GHRH-staining may be positive in asymptomatic NET patients [ 121 ].…”