A Hairy Situation: Ovarian Sex Cord Stromal Tumor As A Rare Cause Of Hyperandrogenism
November 2022
in “
Journal of the Endocrine Society
”
TLDR A rare ovarian tumor caused high testosterone and excess hair in a woman, which was resolved after tumor removal.
A 36-year-old female with a history of hirsutism and PCOS presented with elevated testosterone levels and a 12 cm adnexal mass on abdominal CT. Lab work suggested ovarian, not adrenal, origin for androgen excess. She underwent a right oophorectomy, and pathology confirmed a rare ovarian steroid cell tumor, NOS, with no metastasis. Post-operative testosterone levels decreased significantly, and hirsutism resolved. This case highlights the rarity of such tumors, comprising less than 0.1% of all ovarian tumors, and underscores the importance of thorough preoperative workup to identify the etiology of hyperandrogenism, which could prevent unnecessary invasive procedures.
