Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Androgen secreting neoplasms of the ovary are rare and usually show autonomous secretion. Steroid cell tumors of the ovary represent less than 0.1% of all ovarian tumors and are a subgroup of sex cord-stromal tumors. In most cases, patients present with androgenic clinical features.

Case report: A 58-year-old woman complained of rapid onset of androgenic alopecia, excessive hirsutism and clitoromegaly. Endocrine assessment showed high levels of testosterone 293 ng/dl (4–60), with normal levels of other androgens. Abdominal magnetic resonance revealed a solid nodular lesion of the right ovary with 13 × 14 mm suggestive of a sex cord-stromal tumor. The patient underwent bilateral hystero-ophorectomy. The histopathology diagnosis was steroid cell tumor, not otherwise specified. Four months after surgery, hormonal evaluation demonstrated normal plasma testosterone levels and the patient refers some regression of androgenic features.

Conclusion: The rapid onset of virilization in a post-menopausal woman should lead to a search for an androgen-secreting ovarian or adrenal tumor. Surgery is the main treatment for these tumors. Although steroid cell tumors of the ovary are generally benign, there is a risk for malignant transformation and little is known about their behavior, so it is important to keep these patients under surveillance.