Unusual case of Cowden‐like syndrome, neck paraganglioma, and pituitary adenoma

Background Pituitary tumors, paragangliomas, and Cowden syndrome do not usually occur together. Methods The synchronous presentation of papillary thyroid carcinoma and neck paraganglioma was revealed in a 43‐year‐old woman who had been diagnosed with a microprolactinoma one decade before and now presented with a constellation of characteristics that are components of Cowden syndrome, specifically macrocephaly, multiple skin papules, fibrocystic mammary disease, and uterine leiomyofibroma. Results Germline mutation analysis of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), succinate dehydrogenase subunit B (SDHB), succinate dehydrogenase subunit C (SDHC), and succinate dehydrogenase subunit D (SDHD) was performed with revelation of 3 polymorphic sites in introns 1, 4, and 8 of the PTEN gene and 1 polymorphic site in exon 1 of the SDHB gene, but absence of known pathogenic mutations. Conclusion The coexistence of Cowden‐like syndrome, neck paraganglioma, and pituitary adenoma is described for the first time, and could represent a novel genetic syndrome with an as yet unidentified common genetic basis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36: E12–E16, 2014