Unilateral pubic hair growth: a paracrine finding indicative of underlying leydig cell tumor in a prepubertal boy
Leydig cell tumors (LCTs) are rare in children and typically present with testicular masses and signs of early puberty. We report a case of a 6-year-old boy presenting solely with precocious pubic hair growth. Ultrasound revealed a small right testicular mass and elevated serum testosterone. Intra-operatively, hair growth was more prominent on the affected hemi-scrotum. Testis-sparing surgery confirmed a benign LCT with adjacent increased spermatogenesis. This is the first known report of ipsilateral pubic hair as a presenting sign of LCT. Localized androgen excess may be an early clinical indicator to guide timely diagnosis and treatment.
Authors
- Amanda Osta
- Cristiana Hentea (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3963-2502)
- C. Berry
- Nicoleta C. Arva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5519-1586)
- Bo Long (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9358-2585)
- Luca Morgantini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8965-6414)
- Gabriel van de Walle
- Emilie K. Johnson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8500-9084)
Institutions
- Northwestern University (US)
- Nationwide Children's Hospital (US)
- Loyola University Chicago (US)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- Lurie Children's Hospital (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Urology Case Reports
- Published
- 2025-05-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eucr.2025.103071
- Primary Topic
- Urologic and reproductive health conditions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00