Abstract
We report the case of a 57-year-old woman with gastric carcinoid. The tumor was surgically removed and immunohistochemical investigation demonstrated a rare combination: ghrelin and serotonin in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells. The functional significance of simultaneous production of ghrelin and serotonin is not clear. It may be that an autocrine/paracrine interaction exists between these two different hormones.
References
Kojima M, Hosoda H, Date Y, Nakazato M, Matsuo H, Kangawa K. Ghrelin is a growth hormone-releasing acylated peptide from stomach. Nature. 1999;402:656–60.
Date Y, Kojima M, Hosoda H, Sawaguchi A, Mondal MS, Suganuma T, et al. Ghrelin, a novel growth hormone cell type in the gastrointestinal tracts of rats and humans. Endocrinology. 2000;141:4255–61.
Gnanopauan S, Kola B, Bustin SA, Morris DG, McGee P, Fairclough P, et al. The tissue distribution of the mRNA of ghrelin and subtypes of its receptor; GHS-R in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2002;87:2988.
Gualillo O, Caminos J, Blanco M, Garcia-Caballero T, Kojima M, Kangawa K, et al. Ghrelin, a novel placental-derived hormone. Endocrinology. 2001;142:788–94.
Hattori N, Saito T, Yagyu T, Jiang BH, Kitagawa K, Inagaki C. GH, GH receptor, GH secretagogue receptor, and ghrelin expression in human T cells, B cells and neurophils. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001;86:4284–91.
Howard AD, Feighber SD, Cully DF, et al. A receptor in pituitary and hypothalamus that functions in growth hormone release. Science. 1996;273:974–7.
Mori K, Yoshimoto A, Takaya K, et al. Kidney produces a novel acylated peptide, ghrelin. FEBS Lett. 2000;486:213–6.
Tena-sempere M, Barreiro ML, Gonzalez LC, et al. Novel expression and functional role in rat testis. Endocrinology. 2002;143:717–25.
Rindi G, Torsello A, Locatelli V, et al. Ghrelin expression and actions: a novel peptide for an old cell type of the diffuse endocrine system. Exp Biol Med. 2004;229:1007–16.
Kojima M, Hosoda H, Matsuo H, et al. Ghrelin: discovery of the natural endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2001;12:118–22.
Papotti M, Cassoni P, Volante M, et al. Ghrelin-producing endocrine tumors of the stomach and intestine. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001;86:5052–9.
Volante M, Alla E, Gugliotta P, et al. Expression of ghrelin and of the secretagogue receptor by pancreatic islet cells and related endocrine tumors. J Clin Endocrinol Metabol. 2002;87:1300–8.
Korbonits M, Kojima M, Kangawa K, et al. Presence of ghrelin in normal and adenomatous human pituitary. Endocr. 2001;14:101–4.
Iwakura H, Hosada K, Doi R, et al. Ghrelin expression in islet cell tumors: augmented expression of ghrelin in a case of glucagonoma with multiple endocrine neoplasm type I. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2002;87:4885–8.
Rotondo F, Scheithauer BW, Kovacs K, et al. Rab3B immunoexpression in human pituitary adenomas. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2009;17:185–8.
Lewin KJ, Appelman HD. Atlas of tumor pathology. Tumors of the esophagus and stomach. Washington: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Publications; 1996. p. 331–52.
Wang YC, Callego-Arteche E, Lezza G, et al. Homeodomain transcription factor NKX2.2 functions in immature cells to control enteroendocrine differentiation and is expressed in gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2009;16:267–79.
Tsolakis AV, Stridsberg M, Grimelius L, et al. Ghrelin immunoreactive cells in gastric endocrine tumors and their relation to plasma ghrelin concentration. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2008;42:381–8.
Srivastava A, Kamath A, Barry SA, et al. Ghrelin expression in hyperplastic and neoplastic proliferations of the enterochromaffin like (ECL) cells. Endocr Pathol. 2004;15:47–54.
Scheithauer BW, Horvath E, Kovacs K, et al. Plurihormonal pituitary adenoma. Semin Diagn Pathol. 1986;3:69–82.
Hetmann MF, Hamy A, Triau S, et al. Endocrine tumors of the duodenum. A study of 55 cases relative to clinicopathological features and hormone content. Hepatogastroenterology. 2004;51:1367–71.
Le Bodic MF, Hetmann MF, Le Comte M, et al. Immunohistochemical study of 100 pancreatic tumors in 28 patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1. Am J Surg Pathol. 1996;20:1378–84.
Roth KA, Wilson DM, Eberwine J, et al. Acromegaly and pheochromocytoma: a multiple endocrine syndrome caused by a plurihormonal adrenal medullary tumor. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1986;63:1421–6.
Nikolopoulos D, Theocharis S, Kouraklis G. Ghrelin’s role on gastrointestinal tract cancer. Surg Oncol. 2010;19:e2–10.
Nikolopoulos D, Theocharis S, Kouraklis G. Ghrelin: a potential therapeutic target for cancer. Regul Pept. 2010;163:7–17.
Hosoda H, Kojima M, Kangawa K. Biological, physiological and pharmacological aspects of ghrelin. J Pharmacol Sci. 2006;100:398–410.
Shintani M, Ogawa Y, Ebilhara K, et al. Ghrelin, an endogenous growth hormone secretagogue, is a novel orexigenic peptide that antagonizes leptin action through the activation of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y/Y1 receptor pathway. Diabetes. 2001;50:227–32.
Inui A. Ghrelin: an orexigenic and somatotrophic signal from the stomach. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2001;2:551–60.
Asakawa A, Inui A, Kaga T, et al. Ghrelin is an appetite-stimulatory signal from the stomach with structural resemblance to motilin. Gastroenterology. 2001;20:337–45.
Wren AM, Small CJ, Ward HL, et al. The novel hypothalamic peptide ghrelin stimulates food intake and growth hormone secretion. Endocrinology. 2000;141:4325–8.
Broglio F, Arvat E, Benso A, et al. Ghrelin, a natural GH secretagogue produced by the stomach, induces hyperglycemia and reduces insulin secretion in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001;86:5083–6.
Egido EM, Rodriguez-Gallardo J, Silvestre RA, et al. Inhibitory effect of ghrelin on insulin and pancreatic somatostatin secretion. Eur J Endocrinol. 2002;146:241–4.
Kluge M, Riedi S, Uhr M, et al. Ghrelin affects the hypothalamus–pituitary–thyroid axis in humans by increasing free thyroxine and decreasing TSH in plasma. Eur J Endocrinol. 2010;162:1059–65.
Monteleone P, Benecivenga R, Longobardi N, et al. Differential responses of circulating ghrelin to high-fat or high-carbohydrate meal in healthy women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003;88:5510–4.
Tsolakis AV, Portela-Gomes GM, Stridsberg M, et al. Malignant gastric ghrelinoma with hyperghrelinoma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004;89:3739–44.
Walter T, Chardon L, Hervieu V, et al. Major hyperghrelinemia in advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas: report of three cases. Eur J Endocrinol. 2009;161:639–45.
Romero A, Kirchner H, Heppner K, et al. GOAT: the master switch for the ghrelin system? Eur J Endocrinol. 2010;163:1–8.
Tanaka M, Naruo T, Yasuhara D, et al. Fasting ghrelin levels in subtypes of anorexia nervosa. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2003;28:829–35.
Garcia JM, Garcia-Tonza M, Hijazi RA, et al. Active ghrelin levels and active to total ghrelin ratio in cancer-induced cachexia. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005;90:2920–6.
Korbonits M, Blaines D, Elia M, et al. Metabolic and hormonal changes during the refeeding period of prolonged fasting. Eur J Endocrinol. 2007;157:157–66.
Soriano-Guillen L, Barrios V, Campos-Barros A, et al. Ghrelin levels in obesity and anorexia nervosa: effect of weight reduction or recuperation. J Pediatr. 2004;144:36–42.
Geliebter A, Gluck ME, Hashim SA. Plasma ghrelin concentration are lower in binge-eating disorder. J Nutr. 2005;135:1326–30.
Acknowledgment
Authors are grateful to the Jarislowsky and Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundations for their generous support. We are also very much indebted to Ms. Corinne Holubowich for the literature search and to Mr. Mark Moreland and Ms. Vidya Beharri for their technical assistance.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Latta, E., Rotondo, F., Leiter, L.A. et al. Ghrelin- and Serotonin-Producing Gastric Carcinoid. J Gastrointest Canc 43, 319–323 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-011-9275-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-011-9275-z