Metastatic Embryonal Cell Carcinoma with High Testosterone and Absence of Secondary Sexual Characteristics
January 2016
in “
AACE Clinical Case Reports
”
TLDR Treatment restored normal sexual characteristics and blood condition in a patient with testicular cancer.
This case study reported a unique instance of embryonal cell carcinoma of the testicle in a 23-year-old man with type 1 diabetes, characterized by high levels of β-HCG and testosterone but a lack of secondary sexual characteristics. Despite elevated testosterone, the patient exhibited no masculinization, such as beard or body hair growth, and had low libido. The tumor, which was heavily calcified and metastatic, was secreting hormones that suppressed luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones. Treatment with chemotherapy and surgery normalized hormone levels, restored secondary sexual characteristics, and reversed erythrocytosis. This case highlighted the need to explore the relationship between elevated testosterone, β-HCG, and androgen receptor expression.