Hyperandrogenism produced by ovarian tumors in women at different life stages.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective : to evaluate the different presentations of hyperandrogenism produced by ovarian tumors in women at different life stages Design: case report Setting: academic institutions Patient(s): 3 patients at different life stages, with increased androgen levels Intervention(s): review of hospital records Main Outcome Measure(s): clinical and biochemical features, treatment and follow-up Result(s): a 10 year-old girl with Leydig cell tumor presented with hyperandrogenemia, virilization and changes in social behavior. Another patient, at reproductive age, with a tumor >10 cm, presented with signs of virilization and abdominal mass, whose pathologic analysis disclosed a carcinoid tumor of the ovary associated with stromal hyperplasia. The third patient was a postmenopausal woman with severe alopecia, who presented a steroid cell tumor, rare at that age. Conclusion(s): the evaluation of women with signs and symptoms of virilization should include a detailed clinical record, thorough physical examination and an appropriate hormonal dosage, especially when images are inconclusive.