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A patient with malignant paraganglioma that simultaneously produces adrenocorticotropic hormone and interleukin-6
Background:
To the authors' knowledge, there have been no reports describing a case of malignant paraganglioma that produces both adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Methods:
The clinical course and pathophysiology of a patient with Cushing's syndrome induced by ectopic ACTH syndrome caused by a cervical malignant paraganglioma with elevated plasma levels of IL-6 was investigated.
Results:
Ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging of the neck revealed the presence of a tumor around the area from which the blood sample that showed the highest levels of ACTH and IL-6 was obtained by selective catheterization. Immunohistochemical staining of the removed tissue demonstrated the presence of ACTH and IL-6 proteins in the tumor cells. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction also revealed the existence of IL-6 mRNA in those cells.
Conclusion:
The malignant paraganglioma of ectopic ACTH syndrome may produce IL-6. The present investigation provides new observations concerning ectopic ACTH syndrome.