Precocious puberty in a child with unilateral Leydig cell tumor of the testis following orchiopexy

Central precocious puberty should be taken seriously in children with Leydig cell tumors of the testis after surgical treatment: a tertiary center experience

ABSTRACT

Central precocious puberty secondary to Leydig cell tumors is rare in children. We retrospectively analyzed the mid- to long-term follow-up data of patients with Leydig cell tumors. The clinical data of 12 consecutive patients who were treated at Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University (Beijing, China), between January 2016 and October 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical evaluations, including physical examination, hormone examination, serum tumor marker analysis, abdominal and scrotal ultrasound, chest X-ray, and bone age measurement, were conducted before surgery and at follow-up time points. Surgical approaches were selected according to the individual conditions. Patients with an abnormal hormonal status and suspected of having central precocious puberty were referred to endocrinologists to confirm the diagnosis. Subsequently, gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog therapy was proposed. The mean patient age was 81.3 (range: 40-140) months at the time of the operation. Ten patients had peripheral precocious puberty at admission. All patients had elevated preoperative testosterone levels, whereas tumor marker levels were normal. Testis-sparing surgery was performed in eleven patients, and radical orchiectomy was performed in one patient. The follow-up duration (mean ± standard deviation) was 36.2 ± 25.3 months. Five patients had central precocious puberty, with a mean duration of 3.4 (range: 1-6) months postoperatively. Three patients were receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog therapy, and good suppression of puberty was observed. No risk factors were found for secondary central precocious puberty. There was a high prevalence of central precocious puberty secondary to Leydig cell tumors in our study. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog therapy has satisfactory treatment effects. Larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up are needed in future studies.

Leydig Cell Testicular Tumour Presenting as Isosexual Precocious Pseudopuberty in a 5 Year-old Boy with No Palpable Testicular Mass

Leydig cell testicular tumors are very rare in children and cause isosexual precocious puberty. Palpable testicular mass or asymmetric testes are common findings on routine examination. We report on a 5-yr-old boy with a Leydig cell tumor of the testis presented with isosexual precocious puberty but no scrotal palpable mass. To our knowledge, this is the first reported Leydig cell tumor in a boy without palpable scrotal mass.

Fetal Leydig cell origin and development

Male sexual differentiation is a complex process requiring the hormone-producing function of somatic cells in the gonad, including Sertoli cells and fetal Leydig cells (FLCs). FLCs are essential for virilization of the male embryo, but despite their crucial function, relatively little is known about their origins or development. Adult Leydig cells (ALCs), which arise at puberty, have been studied extensively and much of what has been learned about this cell population has been extrapolated to FLCs. This approach is problematic in that prevailing dogma in the field asserts that these 2 populations are distinct in origin. As such, it is imprudent to assume that FLCs arise and develop in a similar manner to ALCs. This review provides a critical assessment of studies performed on FLC populations, rather than those extrapolated from ALC studies to assemble a model for FLC origins and development. Furthermore, we underscore the need for conclusive identification of the source population of fetal Leydig cells.

Non-tumoural parenchyma in Leydig cell tumours: pathogenetic considerations

Little is known about the pathogenesis of Leydig cell tumours (LCTs) of the testis. The observation of several associated dysgenetic features in the non-tumoural parenchyma and in the contralateral testes of men with testicular germ cell neoplasms has served as the basis to propose that there may be a common mechanism for different male reproductive disorders. However, the possible relationship between LCTs and other testicular lesions has not been explored. Here we describe the presence of primary lesions in the non-tumoural parenchyma of testes with LCT, from which we try to establish possible pathogenetic associations. We studied the non-tumoural parenchyma adjacent to 16 LCT specimens. Parameters as Leydig cell hyperplasia (LCHY), qualitative evaluation of the germinal epithelium and spermatogenesis, the presence of Sertoli cell-only tubules (SCOT), and the Sertoli cell nuclear morphology were consistently assessed in all cases. SCOT associated with Sertoli cell dysgenetic morphology was the most frequent finding, present in 50% of the cases. Another interesting finding was the presence of LCHY in four cases (25%). Abnormal spermatogenesis was found in 81.25% of the cases, and it consisted of lesions of the adluminal or basal compartments of seminiferous tubules. The occurrence of either dysgenetic Sertoli cells or LCHY adjacent to LCTs could represent primary anomalies, resulting from a common insult also involved in tumourigenesis. The abnormalities in spermatogenesis observed here are likely to represent consequences of either tumour compression or abnormal hormonal production. The significance of these associations merits further investigation regarding a common pathogenesis.

Leydig cell tumour--a rare testicular tumour

Although Leydig cell tumour is a rare tumour which constitutes only 1-3% of all testicular tumours, still it is in the focus of interest because of the difficulties in determining its exact nature and subsequently the type of treatment and follow-up. We report a case of Leydig cell tumour with a review of the related literature.

[Leydig cell tumor. Report of 2 cases and review of the literature]

The Leydig cell tumor is the most frequent of non-germ cell tumors of the testis. Clinical findings depend on the age of presentation. We present two cases of Leydig Cell tumors of the testis, diagnosed in a 8 years old child with isosexual precocity, and a 42 years old adult with Gynaecomastia. After reviewing the existing literature on this uncommon pathology we consider that the iconography presented is very interesting for furthering the knowledge on this subject.

Hormonal and seminal evaluation of Leydig cell tumour patients before and after orchiectomy

Seven patients (aged 25-38 years) were admitted because of mono- or bilateral gynaecomastia. Plasma levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin, testosterone, 17-beta-estradiol, delta4-androstenedione, dehydropiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) and 17-OH-progesterone were determined and semen analysis was carried out. FSH and LH levels were also measured after acute LH-RH administration (100 microg intravenously), and testosterone and 17-beta-estradiol were also evaluated after acute human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) administration (5000 IU intramuscularly). Testicular echography demonstrated the presence of a solid hypoechoic tumour. Therefore all patients were submitted to hemicastration by orchidofuniculotomy and a benign Leydig cell tumour was diagnosed in the removed testes. Hormonal and semen evaluations were repeated 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after surgery. The data before and after surgery were compared with a control group of 10 age-matched males. Before surgery, patients showed low FSH basal plasma levels; high levels of 17-beta-estradiol and low testosterone levels similar to those after hCG administration. A dyspermia was observed. Unilateral orchidectomy eliminated the autonomous secretion of oestrogen(s) so an increase of LH, FSH and testosterone levels, together with an improvement of spermatogenesis, were obtained.

Role of retroperitoneal lymph node dissection in clinical stage I Leydig cell tumours

Leydig Cell Tumours (LCT) account for 3% of all testicular tumours; 10% are malignant and are refractory to radio- and chemotherapy. The role of Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection in clinical stage I LCT is therefore a particularly debated one. From March ‘83 to December ‘95, 10 patients with LCT were subjected to orchiectomy (1 of them bilaterally because of a metachronous tumour). In 10 out of 11 specimens the following pathological features – a) size larger than 50 mm, b) infiltration of spermatic cord, c) lymphatics and veins, d) capsule, e) necrosis, f) cellular pleomorphism, g) numerous mitoses, h) nuclear atypia – were absent. The only patient in which b) and d) were present was subjected to RPLND. After a follow-up ranging from 17 to 157 months all patients are disease-free. Abstention from RPLND in clinical stage I LCT therefore seems the more rational choice when the above- listed pathologic features are absent.