Hepatoblastoma as a Cause of Precocious Puberty

Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary hepatic tumor in children. Precocious puberty is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome that can occur in male children with hepatoblastoma as a result of elevated human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). The clinical signs of precocious puberty may be detected months before the physical effects of tumor growth such as abdominal pain and distension. Therefore, consideration of hepatoblastoma in young boys presenting with precocious puberty can lead to earlier detection, diagnosis, treatment and thus arrest further virilization. This report describes the presentation, imaging and relevant laboratory findings in two pediatric patients with hepatoblastoma presenting with precocious puberty.

Author(s): Farouk Dako, Susan Back and Richard Bellah

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