Lin D, Suwantarat N, Kwee S, Miyashiro M. Cushing’s syndrome caused by an ACTH-producing large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2010; 2(1): 56-58 [PMID: 21160818 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v2.i1.56]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Dagmar Lin, MD, Department of Internal Medicine and John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96813, United States. dagmarl@hawaii.edu
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
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Dagmar Lin, Nuntra Suwantarat, Department of Internal Medicine and John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96813, United States
Sandi Kwee, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Queens Medical Center, Honolulu, HI 96813, United States
Michelle Miyashiro, Department of Oncology, Queens Medical Center, Honolulu, HI 96813, United States
Author contributions: Lin D, Suwantarat N, Kwee S and Miyashiro M designed research; Lin D performed research; Kwee S contributed and formatted imaging; Miyashiro M contributed to oncological part; Lin D wrote the paper with assistance of Suwantarat N and Kwee S.
Correspondence to: Dagmar Lin, MD, Department of Internal Medicine and John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96813, United States. dagmarl@hawaii.edu
Telephone: +1-808-5862910 Fax: +1-808-5867486
Received: August 12, 2009 Revised: September 2, 2009 Accepted: September 9, 2009 Published online: January 15, 2010
Abstract
Malignancies of the gallbladder, including neuroendocrine tumors, are uncommon, mostly found incidentally after cholecystectomy and are frequently asymptomatic in the early stages, but highly fatal. Limited data is available on adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-producing neuroendocrine tumors specifically originating from the gallbladder. We report the clinical and radiographic findings, which included positron emission tomography and computed tomography, of a patient with a gallbladder mass who presented with Cushing’s syndrome. Subsequently, a diagnosis of ACTH-producing large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder was made. Despite being rare and having a poor prognosis, hormone-producing neuroendocrine tumors should be part of the differential diagnosis in the approach of patients with Cushing’s syndrome.
