Cushing’s syndrome due to ectopic adrenocorticotropin secretion by a parotid carcinoma

Fernanda F. Antonacio, Guilherme Harada, Rafael S. Vilela, Thais C. Freitas, Jose V. Lima, Luiz Paulo Kowalski, Madson Q. Almeida, Gilberto de Castro

We report a rare case of Cushing's syndrome in a 37-year-old female who initially presented with localized acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland. In January 2014, she underwent a right parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation and adjuvant radiotherapy. In August 2018, she presented a histologically-proven local regional relapse. The patient was considered for salvage surgery with facial nerve sacrifice and remained with no evidence of disease. One year later the patient developed pulmonary dissemination and started to gain weight and developed facial plethora and acne on the face and upper trunk. In a physical examination, the patient presented moon face, buffalo hump, acne and stage 2 hypertension. Biochemical evaluation confirmed ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome. IHC for ACTH in the lung biopsy revealed strong positive staining for ACTH confirming a diagnosis of ectopic ACTH secretion by a metastatic parotid acinic cell carcinoma. Ketoconazole (600 mg/d) was started to treat the CS. In addition, as chemotherapy was initiated to treat the metastatic disease. After the fifth cycle of chemotherapy, ketoconazole was suspended and the patient remained in remission of CS for four months, when CS recurred. A unique feature of this case is related to the clinical CS relapse associated with disease progression, which needed prompt treatment with ketoconazole, resulting in a significant improvement in the patient's condition. Although rare, should be attentive for possible CS features in patients with high-grade salivary gland carcinomas, since the diagnosis of ectopic secretion of ACTH may significantly impact their management and outcomes.