Adrenocortical Hyperfunction in Association with Anaplastic Carcinoma of the Respiratory Tract

THE association of hyperadrenocorticism with cancer has stimulated the curiosity of physicians for many years. Early work by Dobriner1 suggested that the adrenal glands functioned differently both qualitatively and quantitatively in patients with neoplastic disease. He proposed that the steroid metabolite 11-hydroxyetiocholanolone might actually be used to diagnose the existence of a neoplasm. These findings have not been confirmed. Previously, isolated case reports had recorded the association of a syndrome similar to Cushing's disease, with tumors in various organs, particularly in the pancreas,2 , 3 ovary4 , 5 and thymus.6 , 7 Similar findings have more recently been reported by Moore and his associates8 and Lockwood . . .