National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Lhermitte-Duclos disease



Other Names:
Dysplastic gangliocytoma of the cerebellum
Categories:

Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD) is a very rare, benign (non-cancerous) brain tumor, called a dysplastic gangliocytoma of the cerebellum, that is characterized by abnormal development and enlargement of the cerebellum, and an increased intracranial pressure. LDD manifests most commonly in the third and fourth decades of life. Symptoms may include headache, nausea, cerebellar dysfunction, hydrocephalus, ataxia (problems with movement and coordination), and visual disturbances. Other features may include an enlarged brain (megalencephaly), hydromyelia, extra fingers or toes (polydactyly), partial gigantism, and/or a large tongue (macroglossia). Lhermitte-Duclos disease can occur as an isolated condition; it is also associated with a hereditary cancer syndrome called Cowden disease. Although the exact cause is unknown, mutations in the PTEN gene have been identified in some individuals with LDD.[1]
Last updated: 11/30/2011

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
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HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Ataxia 0001251
Cranial nerve paralysis 0006824
Enlarged cerebellum 0012081
Hand polydactyly
Extra finger
0001161
Headache
Headaches
0002315
Hydrocephalus
Too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain
0000238
Increased intracranial pressure
Rise in pressure inside skull
0002516
Macrocephaly
Increased size of skull
Large head
Large head circumference
[ more ]
0000256
Macroglossia
Abnormally large tongue
Increased size of tongue
Large tongue
[ more ]
0000158
Nausea and vomiting 0002017
Papule 0200034
Polymicrogyria
More grooves in brain
0002126
Seizure 0001250
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Acrokeratosis 0200016
Fibroadenoma of the breast 0010619
Neoplasm of the thyroid gland 0100031
Ovarian neoplasm
Ovarian tumor
0100615
Trichilemmoma 0012844
1%-4% of people have these symptoms
Decreased circulating antibody level 0004313
Lymphopenia
Decreased blood lymphocyte number
Low lymphocyte number
[ more ]
0001888
Recurrent infections
Frequent infections
Frequent, severe infections
Increased frequency of infection
infections, recurrent
Predisposition to infections
Susceptibility to infection
[ more ]
0002719
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormality of the vasculature
Abnormality of blood vessels
Vascular abnormalities
[ more ]
0002597
Adult onset
Symptoms begin in adulthood
0003581
Angioid streaks of the fundus 0001102
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Breast carcinoma
Breast cancer
0003002
Carcinoma 0030731
Cataract
Clouding of the lens of the eye
Cloudy lens
[ more ]
0000518
Colonic diverticula 0002253
Dysplastic gangliocytoma of the cerebellum 0500009
Furrowed tongue
Grooved tongue
0000221
Global developmental delay 0001263
Goiter
Enlarged thyroid gland in neck
0000853
Gynecomastia
Enlarged male breast
0000771
Hamartomatous polyposis 0004390
Hearing impairment
Deafness
Hearing defect
[ more ]
0000365
Hemimegalencephaly 0007206
High palate
Elevated palate
Increased palatal height
[ more ]
0000218
Hydrocele testis 0000034
Hyperthyroidism
Overactive thyroid
0000836
Hypoplasia of the maxilla
Decreased size of maxilla
Decreased size of upper jaw
Maxillary deficiency
Maxillary retrusion
Small maxilla
Small upper jaw
Small upper jaw bones
Upper jaw deficiency
Upper jaw retrusion
[ more ]
0000327
Hypothyroidism
Underactive thyroid
0000821
Intellectual disability, mild
Mental retardation, borderline-mild
Mild and nonprogressive mental retardation
Mild mental retardation
[ more ]
0001256
Intention tremor 0002080
Kyphosis
Hunched back
Round back
[ more ]
0002808
Meningioma 0002858
Micrognathia
Little lower jaw
Small jaw
Small lower jaw
[ more ]
0000347
Myopia
Close sighted
Near sighted
Near sightedness
Nearsightedness
[ more ]
0000545
Narrow mouth
Small mouth
0000160
Ovarian carcinoma 0025318
Ovarian cyst 0000138
Palmoplantar hyperkeratosis
Thickening of the outer layer of the skin of the palms and soles
0000972
Pectus excavatum
Funnel chest
0000767
Progressive macrocephaly
Progressively abnormally enlarging cranium
Progressively abnormally enlarging skull
[ more ]
0004481
Scoliosis 0002650
Skin tags 0010609
Subcutaneous lipoma 0001031
Thyroid adenoma 0000854
Thyroiditis
Thyroid gland inflammation
0100646
Transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder 0006740
Varicocele 0012871
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • The National Cancer Institute provides the most current information on cancer for patients, health professionals, and the general public.

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Lhermitte-Duclos disease. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Lhermitte-Duclos disease. Orphanet. February 2006; http://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=EN&Expert=65285. Accessed 11/30/2011.