HETEROGENEITY OF URINARY STEROID PROFILES IN CHILDREN WITH ADRENOCORTICAL TUMORS

The excretory patterns of urinary steroids determined by capillary gas chromatography in 11 children (aged 0.8-16.5 years) with adrenocortic al tumors were established, In 8 patients the predominant clinical fea ture was virilization, in 3 others, Gushing's syndrome. In 5 patients (3 carcinoma, 2 adenoma) very high excretion of 3 beta-hydroxy-5-ene s teroids was observed, In 2 others (adenomas) only moderately elevated excretion of 11 beta-hydroxyandrosterone was found. In 1 patient (aden oma) pregnanediol dominated in the steroid profile, accompanied by mod erately elevated 3 beta-hydroxy-5-ene steroids. Out of 3 Cushingoid pa tients (1 carcinoma, 2 adenomas), 1 presented an atypical urinary ster oid pattern for hypercortisolemia, without 5 alpha-reductase and 11 be ta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiencies. Neither the urinary ster oid pattern nor tumor size alone were reliable indicators of tumor mal ignancy, as evaluated by a pathological examination and subsequent met astasis-free survival.