Endocrine Tumors of the Ovary

Abstract

THAT OVARIAN TUMORS may exert definite and profound effects upon the female organism as a whole has long been known. As early as 1905 (a), Pick called attention to a tumor which he called tubular testicular adenoma, associated with masculinization in a young girl. Since that time other tumors of the ovary have been described which manifest hormonal effects such as feminization, masculinization or other changes, and which have proved of the greatest interest not only to the gynecologist but to every physician. The field which has thus been opened is still under intensive investigation, and although considerable advances have been made, much remains to be done. The clarification of the subject is to a great extent due to the studies of Meyer (1918–1932) who was the first to offer a definitive classification of ovarian tumors in which the endocrine effects were stressed. The difficulties heretofore encountered in the recognition and the correct classification of the tumors, it would appear, have been primari...