Stauffer syndrome is a constellation of
sign
A sign is an Physical object, object, quality (philosophy), quality, event, or Non-physical entity, entity whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. A natural sign bears a causal relation to ...
s and
symptom
Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than normal, raised or lowered blood pressure or an abnormality showi ...
s of
liver
The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...
dysfunction that arises due to presence of
renal cell carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a kidney cancer that originates in the lining of the proximal convoluted tubule, a part of the very small tubes in the kidney that transport primary urine. RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, res ...
, and, more rarely, in connection with other malignant neoplasms, though the specific pathogenesis is currently unknown. It is named for Dr. Maurice Stauffer, a
gastroenterologist
Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, ...
at the
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The hepatic abnormalities are not due to tumor infiltration of the liver or intrinsic liver disease; they instead reflect the presence of a
paraneoplastic syndrome
A paraneoplastic syndrome is a syndrome (a set of signs and symptoms) that is the consequence of a tumor in the body (usually a cancerous one), specifically due to the production of chemical signaling molecules (such as hormones or cytokines) by ...
.
Stauffer syndrome causes abnormal
liver function test
Liver function tests (LFTs or LFs), also referred to as a hepatic panel, are groups of blood tests that provide information about the state of a patient's liver. These tests include prothrombin time (PT/INR), activated partial thromboplastin t ...
s, especially those that reflect the presence of
cholestasis
Cholestasis is a condition where bile cannot flow from the liver to the duodenum. The two basic distinctions are an obstructive type of cholestasis where there is a mechanical blockage in the duct system that can occur from a gallstone or maligna ...
, i.e. abnormal
bile
Bile (from Latin ''bilis''), or gall, is a dark-green-to-yellowish-brown fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver b ...
flow. Hepatosplenomegaly may also be observed. The symptoms and signs resolve if the renal cell carcinoma (or another associated tumor) is successfully ablated. It is due to release of IL-6 from cancerous cell.
[
]
Eponym
Maurice H. Stauffer, M.D., a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, first characterized this syndrome in 1961, with the original name of "nephrogenic hepatomegaly."
References
External links
Syndromes
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