The "Taiwanese giant": hormonal and genetic influences in fibrous dysplasia

A 14-year-old boy has been followed for 4 years with a rapidly growing, recurrent area of fibrous dysplasia of the left maxilla and zygoma following resection and bone grafting. Standing 190 cm tall, he was found to have elevated serum growth hormone levels and a pituitary adenoma. His case appears to represent a postzygotic gene mutation of McCune-Albright syndrome. It is possible that the elevated growth hormone levels are in part responsible for the rapid progression of the tumor.