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A Protocol for Rapid Post-mortem Cell Culture of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma DIPG
Published on: March 7, 2017
Large pleural tumor revealed by severe hypoglycemia: Doege-Potter syndrome
Irina Ruxandra Strâmbu1, Diana Gabriela Leonte, Ciprian Nicolae Bolca
1Department of Pulmonology, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania; istrambu@yahoo.com.
Aim:
Doege-Potter syndrome is a rare condition consisting of a mesenchymal tumor, either benign or malignant, accompanied by severe hypoglycemia. The syndrome was first described independently by two American physicians, Karl Walter Doege (1867-1932) and Roy Pilling Potter (1879-1968), in 1930, but it was not before 1988 that it was associated with non-islet cell tumor production of insulin growth factor (IGF) that induces hypoglycemia as a paraneoplastic syndrome.
Case Presentation:
We present the case of a 61-year-old woman with severe hypoglycemia that induced seizures. On the general check-up, a massive tumor occupying the lower part of left hemi-thorax was discovered. Initially, corticosteroids, glucose i.v. and high carbohydrate diet managed to prevent the severe blood glucose drop. Surgery exposed a massive well-defined pleural tumor. After surgical removal, blood glucose stabilized. Histological examination confirmed the fibrous tumor that proved to be malignant on immunochemistry.
Discussion:
The authors discuss other cases reported in the literature of this rare condition and its pathogenic mechanisms, the presented case being the first reported in Romania.
Conclusions:
The clinician should be aware of the possible existence of a pleural tumor in a patient presenting an unexplained hypoglycemia because the surgical removal of the tumor can solve the clinical manifestations.
