Adrenal Liposarcoma: A Novel Presentation of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1

Lipomatoses

Lipomatoses are benign proliferation of adipose tissue. Lipomas (benign fat tumors) are the most common component of lipomatosis. They may be unique or multiple, encapsulated or not, subcutaneous or sometimes visceral. In some cases, they form large areas of non-encapsulated fat hypertrophy, with a variable degree of fibrosis. They can develop despite the absence of obesity. They may be familial or acquired. At difference with lipodystrophy syndromes, they are not associated with lipoatrophy areas, except in some rare cases such as type 2 familial partial lipodystrophy syndromes (FPLD2). Their metabolic impact is variable in part depending on associated obesity. They may have functional or aesthetic consequences. Lipomatosis may be isolated, be part of a syndrome, or may be visceral. Isolated lipomatoses include multiple symmetrical lipomatosis (Madelung disease or Launois-Bensaude syndrome), familial multiple lipomatosis, the painful Dercum's disease also called Adiposis Dolorosa or Ander syndrome, mesosomatic lipomatosis also called Roch-Leri lipomatosis, familial angiolipomatosis, lipedema and hibernomas. Syndromic lipomatoses include PIK3CA-related disorders, Cowden/PTEN hamartomas-tumor syndrome, some lipodystrophy syndromes, and mitochondrial diseases, especially MERRF, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, neurofibromatosis type 1, Wilson disease, Pai or Haberland syndromes. Finally, visceral lipomatoses have been reported in numerous organs and sites: pancreatic, adrenal, abdominal, epidural, mediastinal, epicardial… The aim of this review is to present the main types of lipomatosis and their physiopathological component, when it is known.

Cutaneous lesions and other non-endocrine manifestations of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 syndrome

Background

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 is a rare genetic syndrome mainly caused by mutations of MEN1 gene and characterized by a combination of several endocrine and non-endocrine manifestations. The objective of this study was to describe cutaneous lesions and other non-endocrine manifestations of MEN1 in a cohort of patients with familial (F) and sporadic (S) MEN1, compare the prevalence of these manifestations between the two cohorts, and investigate the correlation with MEN1 mutation status.

Methods

We collected phenotypic and genotypic data of 185 patients with F-MEN1 and S-MEN1 followed from 1997 to 2022. The associations between F-MEN1 and S-MEN1 or MEN1 mutation-positive and mutation-negative patients and non-endocrine manifestations were determined using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests or multivariate exact logistic regression analyses.

Results

The prevalence of angiofibromas was significantly higher in F-MEN1 than in S-MEN1 in both the whole (p < 0.001) and index case (p = 0.003) cohorts. The prevalence of lipomas was also significantly higher in F-MEN1 than in S-MEN1 (p = 0.009) and in MEN1 mutation-positive than in MEN1 mutation-negative (p = 0.01) index cases. In the whole cohort, the prevalence of lipomas was significantly higher in MEN1 mutation-positive compared to MEN1 mutation-negative patients (OR = 2.7, p = 0.02) and in F-MEN1 than in S-MEN1 (p = 0.03), only after adjustment for age. No significant differences were observed for the other non-endocrine manifestations between the two cohorts. Hibernoma and collagenoma were each present in one patient (0.5%) and meningioma and neuroblastoma in 2.7% and 0.5%, respectively. Gastric leiomyoma was present in 1.1% of the patients and uterine leiomyoma in 14% of women. Thyroid cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and colorectal cancer were present in 4.9%, 2.7%, 1.6%, 1.6%, 2.2%, and 0.5% of the whole series, respectively.

Conclusions

We found a significantly higher prevalence of angiofibromas and lipomas in F-MEN1 compared with S-MEN1 and in MEN1 mutation-positive compared to MEN1 mutation-negative patients. In patients with one major endocrine manifestation of MEN1 , the presence of cutaneous lesions might suggest the diagnosis of MEN1 and a possible indication for genetic screening.