[Tumors secreting choriogonadotropin in children]

Fourteen cases of sexual precocity due to choriogonadotropin (hCG) secreting tumors are reported. One pineal and 4 gonadal tumors were observed in 5 girls, whilst 2 supra-sellar, 4 mediastinal, 1 gonadal and 2 hepatic tumors were observed in 9 boys. In all children, immunoreactive plasma LH was high (4 to 30 mIU/ml) but non-responsive to LH-RH, due to the presence of hCG (15 to 6,000 mIU/ml). In the 4 boys with mediastinal tumors the karyotype was 47,XXY. In girls, hCG secreting tumors are a uncommon cause of sexual precocity (less than 1 p. 100). In boys their incidence seems to be the same as the incidence of idiopathic precocious puberty, that is 21 p. 100 of sexual precocities due to androgenic secretion of testicular origin.