Ithabeenknownforsometimethatsometumourshavetheabilitytoproducaehormones.Thishastraditionallybeentermed‘ectopic'hormoneproduction,butwiththeincreasingsensitivityofmodenmoleculartechniques,ithasbecomeclearthatthisisamisnomer;manytissuescanproducehormoner,andnormallydosoatlowlevels,thehormonesactinglocallyascytokinesinaparacrinemanner.Intumours,bymechanismsthatremainunclear,productionofthesehormonesand/orincompletelyprocessedprecursorsisinereased,andthetem‘eutopic’productionismoreappropriate.
