OVARIAN CARCINOID WITH SEVERE CONSTIPATION DUE TO PEPTIDE YY PRODUCTION

We report a patient with primary trabecular carcinoid of the ovary wit h severe constipation probably due to peptide YY production by the tum or. A 43-year-old female had complained of severe constipation for sev eral months and was found to have a left ovarian tumor. The surgically resected tumor was diagnosed as trabecular carcinoid by light microsc opic examination. The carcinoid tumor cells were intensely and uniform ly stained by the Grimelius technique. Immunohistochemically, the tumo r cells were strongly positive for peptide YY, which has a strong inhi bitory action on intestinal motility. The patient has been free from c onstipation since the removal of the tumor. The present case supports previously reported findings that not typical carcinoid syndrome but r ather severe constipation accompanies primary trabecular carcinoid of the ovary, and that peptide YY is presumably the cause of the constipa tion. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.