REVIEW THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF HORMONES BY NON-ENDOCRINE TUMOURS-A REVIEW

Abstract

Department of Chemical Pathology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, EC1A 7BE (Received 17 January 1975) CONTENTS PAGE Glossary of abbreviations 143 Introduction 143 Classification 144 Evidence for the secretion of hormones by non-endocrine tumours 145 Incidence 147 Processes of formation and release of ectopic hormones 149 Ectopic hormone secretion 151 (1) Adrenocorticotrophin/lipotrophic hormone/melanocyte-stimulating hormone 151 (2) Non-metastatic hypercalcaemia 155 (3) Antidiuretic hormone, oxytocin, neurophysin 157 (4) Gonadotrophins 159 (5) Human placental lactogen 159 (6) Growth hormone 159 (7) Insulin 160 (8) Calcitonin 162 (9) Thyroid-stimulating hormone 162 (10) Prolactin 162 (11) Erythropoietin 163 (12) Gut hormones 163 (13) Hypophosphataemic osteomalacia 163 (14) Multiple ectopic hormone secretion 163 Ectopic hormones as tumour-indexing substances 164 Postulated mechanisms of ectopic hormone secretion 165 Conclusions 167 References 167 GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS ACTH Adrenocorticotrophin ADH Antidiuretic hormone APUD Amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation AVP Arginine vasopressin CLIP Corticotrophin-like intermediate lobe peptide 5-HT Serotonin