ECTOPIC HORMONE SYNDROMES ASSOCIATED WITH TUMORS IN CHILDHOOD

Abstract

Ectopic production of hormones by tumors can serve as a clue to diagnosis of the tumor and as a focus for management of the patient. Impressive numbers of cases of hypercortisolism, hypoglycemia, precocious puberty, and hypercalcemia due to tumors of nonendocrine tissues have been reported in children already, and it is likely that many others go unrecognized. The types of tumors and the effects of ectopic hormones in children are quite similar to those in adults, though the tumors most commonly associated reflect the relative frequencies of those tumors in the different age groups. The unifying hypothesis of genetic derepression accounts for the ectopic hormone syndromes and predicts that additional unusual tumor products can be detected.