Brousse C, Mignot L, Baglin A C, Bernard N, Piette A M, Gepner P, Chapman A
Service de médecine interne, CMC Foch, Suresnes, France.
Rev Med Interne. 1994;15(12):830-3. doi: 10.1016/s0248-8663(05)82840-1.
We report a case of hyperthyroidism complicating and revealing a metastatized adenocarcinoma of the stomach with high circulating levels of human chorionic gonadotropin and its beta component. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a non-trophoblastic tumor with hyperthyroidism and secreting quantities of these hormones. High circulating levels of beta component in such patients have been considered to be a sign of malignancy. The mechanisms of thyroid stimulation could be related to the biological activity of certain forms of the human chorionic gonadotropin.