PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY ASSOCIATED WITH HEPATOMA

ABSTRACT A case of precocious puberty of fairly rapid onset in an 8-year-old boy is presented. Adrenal suppression was attempted without success, and adrenal exploration yielded negative results. Later, a firm epigastic mass developed. This proved to be a tumor of the liver, which finally caused the patient's death. There was excessive urinary excretion, not only of 17-ketosteroids but of gonadotropin. At autopsy, no abnormal changes were found in the pineal, hypothalamus or pituitary, other than a possible increase in the number of amphophil cells in the pituitary. The tumor of the liver was composed of cells of hepatic origin. Assay of this tumor showed that chorionic gonadotropic activity was present in a mean concentration of 2 I.U. per gram of tumor tissue (net weight).