Patient education: Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor (The Basics)

What is a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor? — A Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor is a very rare tumor that grows from cells in the ovary (figure 1). This tumor can be cancerous or not.

A Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor sometimes makes male hormones, which doctors call "androgens." Rarely, Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors make the female hormone "estrogen." These hormones can cause symptoms.

What are the symptoms of a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor? — A Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor causes symptoms in different ways. Some people have symptoms from the male hormones the tumor makes. These can include:

●Having fewer monthly periods or no periods at all

●Loss of breast tissue, which can make the breasts smaller

●Hair growth on the face, chest, or back

●Voice changes, making the voice sound deeper

●Losing hair from the head

●Acne

●An increase in the size of the clitoris (a part of the genitals)

Other people have symptoms as the tumor grows bigger. These can include:

●Belly pain

●An increase in belly size

Rarely, people have symptoms from the female hormone the tumor makes, such as vaginal bleeding.

Is there a test for a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor? — If your doctor suspects you have a tumor in your ovary, they will probably order:

●Blood tests – These can measure hormone levels.

●A pelvic ultrasound – This is an imaging test that creates pictures of the ovaries and uterus.

But the only way to know for sure that you have a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor is for a doctor to remove the tumor and then look at it under a microscope. This will happen during treatment.

How is a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor treated? — The main treatment is surgery to remove the tumor. The type of surgery done depends partly on your age and whether you want to get pregnant in the future.

●If you are older or do not want to get pregnant in the future, you can choose to have a surgery called a "hysterectomy" (figure 2). This is surgery to remove your ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes (the tubes connecting the ovaries to the uterus). It's important to know that if your uterus is removed, you will not be able to get pregnant. If you have both ovaries removed, you might need to take hormone pills.

●If you might want to get pregnant in the future, or if you don't want to take hormone pills, you can choose to have surgery to remove only the ovary with the tumor

Other treatment depends on the type of tumor you have and whether the tumor cells spread to another part of your body. If the cells did not spread, you probably won't need any other treatment.

But if the tumor cells spread to another part of your body, you will need treatment with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the medical term for medicines that kill cancer cells or stop them from growing.

What else should I do? — It's important to follow all of your doctor's instructions about visits and tests. It's also important to talk to your doctor about any side effects or problems you have during treatment.

Getting treated for a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor can involve making choices, such as what treatment to have. Always let your doctors and nurses know how you feel about a treatment. Any time you are offered a treatment, ask:

●What are the benefits of this treatment? Is it likely to help me live longer? Will it reduce or prevent symptoms?

●What are the downsides to this treatment?

●Are there other options besides this treatment?

●What happens if I do not have this treatment?

More on this topic

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Patient education: Absent or irregular periods (The Basics)
Patient education: Acne (The Basics)
Patient education: Deciding to have a hysterectomy (The Basics)

Patient education: Hirsutism (excess hair growth in females) (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Absent or irregular periods (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Acne (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Abdominal hysterectomy (Beyond the Basics)