[Gonadotropin-secreting liver cancer in ulcerative colitis]

The authors present the clinical and pathological data of a 28 year-old female patient, who died after several months of observation. The patient had a 15-year history of mild ulcerative colitis. On admission the diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis was made, but subsequently paraneoplastic gonadotropin secretion became apparent. At autopsy a cholangio- and hepatocellular carcinoma was found and the extrahepatic bile ducts were infiltrated by the cholangiocarcinoma. Using the immunoperoxidase method, the hepatocellular part of the tumour was found to contain human choriogonadotropin.