Sex Steroids in Androgen-Secreting Adrenocortical Tumors
European Journal of Endocrinology (2008) 159 641–647 ISSN 0804-4643 CLINICAL STUDY Sex steroids in androgen-secreting adrenocortical tumors: clinical and hormonal features in comparison with non-tumoral causes of androgen excess Catarina B d’Alva1, Gwenaelle Abiven-Lepage1,2, Vivian Viallon2,3, Lionel Groussin1,2,4, Marie Annick Dugue2,5, Xavier Bertagna1,2,4,6 and Jeroˆme Bertherat1,2,4,7 1Assistance Publique-Hoˆpitaux de Paris, Hoˆpital Cochin, Service d’Endocrinologie, Paris, France, 2Universite´ Paris Descartes, Paris, France, 3Assistance Publique-Hoˆpitaux de Paris, Hoˆpital Cochin, Service de Biostatistiques, Paris, France, 4INSERM U 567, CNRS UMR 8104, Institut Cochin, Paris, France, 5Assistance Publique-Hoˆpitaux de Paris, Hoˆpital Cochin, Service d’Hormonologie, Paris, France, 6Adrenal Cancer INCa-COMETE Network, Paris, France and 7Center for Rare Adrenal Diseases, Hoˆpital Cochin, Paris, France (Correspondence should be addressed to J Bertherat at Service d’Endocrinologie, Hoˆpital Cochin, 27, rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014 Paris, France; Email: jerome.bertherat@cch.ap-hop-paris.fr) Abstract Objective: Adrenocortical tumors (ACT) account for no more than 0.2% of the causes of androgen excess (AE). Conversely, these rare tumors have a very poor prognosis. It is difficult and important to exclude this diagnosis whenever there is AE. Design: Retrospective investigation of androgen profiles in a large consecutive series of androgen- secreting (AS) ACT to assess their relative diagnostic value. Methods: A total of 44 consecutive female patients with ACT-AS and a comparison group of 102 women with non-tumor causes of AE (NTAE). Results: Patients with ACT-AS were older than the ones with NTAE (37.7 vs 24.8 years; P!0.001) and the prevalence of hirsutism, acne, and oligo/amenorrhea were not different.
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