Multiple Hormones in a Bronchial Tumor

Abstract

The presence of significant amounts of corticotropin (ACTH), β-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), arginine vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin, neurophysin, insulin, prolactin and corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP) in an oat cell carcinoma of the lung are described. The effects of excessive ACTH secretion dominated the clinical picture although signs of inappropriate AVP production became apparent when hypercortisolemia -was controlled with aminoglutethimide. There were no clinical symptoms which could be attributed to secretion of the other peptides. The primary tumor contained cytoplasmic bodies resembling secretory granules, and released ACTH and AVP in cell culture. The concentrations of the several ectopic peptides differed markedly in the primary tumor and the major liver metastasis, suggesting that the pattern of protein synthesis altered during the course of the disease.