Abstract
A middle aged woman referred for an abdominal mass was found to have large amounts of dopa (3-4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) metabolites in her urine. At operation a tumour affecting almost the entire left lobe of the liver was removed. Histologically the tumour was a metastatic carcinoid. After operation the excretion of dopa metabolites fell substantially, confirming that the tumour was the source. Apparently, owing to an enzyme defect the tumour had been unable to decarboxylate dopa. These findings are further evidence of a neural origin for the endocrine system of the gut.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Goedert M., Otten U., Suda K., Heitz P. U., Stalder G. A., Obrecht J. P., Holzach P., Allgöwer M. Dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin production by an intestinal carcinoid tumor. Cancer. 1980 Jan 1;45(1):104–107. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19800101)45:1<104::aid-cncr2820450119>3.0.co;2-i. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Roth J., LeRoith D., Shiloach J., Rosenzweig J. L., Lesniak M. A., Havrankova J. The evolutionary origins of hormones, neurotransmitters, and other extracellular chemical messengers: implications for mammalian biology. N Engl J Med. 1982 Mar 4;306(9):523–527. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198203043060907. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tapia F. J., Polak J. M., Barbosa A. J., Bloom S. R., Marangos P. J., Dermody C., Pearse A. G. Neuron-specific enolase is produced by neuroendocrine tumours. Lancet. 1981 Apr 11;1(8224):808–811. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)92682-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]