Pancreatic islet-cell tumour associated with Cushing's syndrome. Report of a case with estimation of tumour ACTH content.

INTRODUCTION CUSHING'S SYNDROME as a result of ectopic ACTH production has been recognised for several years. Many tumours arising in tissue thought to be derived from the primitive foregut appear to be capable of elaborating a variety of hormones, of which ACTH is the most completely documented. These include tumours of the lung, pancreas, bile ducts, thyroid, thymus and also from other sites such as colon (Crooke, 1946; Hallwright, North and Reid, 1964; Sasano, Fukuda, Saton and Tohoku, 1969; Bartholomew and Schutt, 1971; Anderson and McHugh, 1971; Rosai and Higa, 1972; Schteingart, Conn, Orth, Harrison, Fox and Bookstein, 1972). However, it is only recently as a result of improvements in radioimmunoassay techniques, that comparison of measurements of AC`TH content of these tumours has become practicable. Pancreatic tumours, after bronchogenic tumours, are the entodermal derived tumours most frequently associated wVith ectopic ACTH production. Very few reports exist in the literature of cases where ACH content of the pancreatic tumour has been determined using radioimmunoassay techniques (Sasano, Fukuda, Saton and Tohoku, 1969), It therefore seemed appropriate to record the following case report: -