Abstract
A 56-year-old man with recurrent thymic atypical carcinoid presented with Cushing's syndrome only in the terminal stage. Eighteen months after the resection of an anterior mediastinal mass, he presented with hypernatremia and hypokalemia with high serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol, and died two months later. An autopsy demonstrated multiple metastases of the tumro to the mediastinum, lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, bone, pituitary gland, and ocular muscles. The adrenocorticotropic hormone level of the tumor tissue was 26,000 pg/g.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Vadasz P, Kotsis L, Egervary M, Palffy G. Radicality and prognosis of surgical treatment of thoracal carcinoid tumors: A review of 152 operated cases. Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999; 47: 235–9.
World Health Organization. Histological Typing of Tumours of the Thymus, 2nd ed. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 1999.
Travis WD, Rush W, Flieder DB, Falk R, Fleming MV, Gal AA, et al. Survival analysis of 200 pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors with clarification of criteria for atypical carcinoid and its separation from typical carcinoid. Am J Surg Pathol 1998; 22: 934–44.
de Montpreville VT, Macchiarini P, Dulmet E. Thymic neuroendocrine carcinoma (carcinoid): A clinicopathologic study of fourteen cases. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996; 111: 134–41.
Valli M, Fabris GA, Dewar A, Chikte S, Fisher C, Corrin B, et al. Atypical carcinoid tumour of the thymus: A study of eight cases. Histopathology 1994; 24: 371–5.
Shrager JB, Wright CD, Wain JC, Torchiana DF, Grillo HC, Mathisen DJ. Bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors associated with Cushing's syndrome: A more aggressive variant of typical carcinoid. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1997; 114: 367–75.
de Perrot M, Spiliopoulos A, Fischer S, Totsch M, Keshavjee S. Neuroendocrine carcinoma (carcinoid) of the thymus associated with Cushing's syndrome. Ann Thorac Surg 2002; 73: 675–81.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Isowa, N., Nakamura, T., Yamazaki, F. et al. Thymic atypical carcinoid with Cushing's syndrome manifesting in the terminal stage. Jpn J Thorac Caridovasc Surg 51, 427–429 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02719595
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02719595