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

Carney complex



Other Names:
Carney syndrome; CNC1; Carney myxoma-endocrine complex; Carney syndrome; CNC1; Carney myxoma-endocrine complex; CAR; Myxoma, spotty pigmentation, and endocrine overactivity; NAME syndrome; LAMB syndrome; Myxoma - spotty pigmentation - endocrine overactivity; Myxoma-spotty pigmentation-endocrine overactivity syndrome See More
Categories:

Carney complex is an inherited condition characterized by spotty skin pigmentation, cardiac (heart) myxomas (tumors composed of mucous connective tissue), skin myxomas, endocrine tumors or over-activity, and schwannomas. Some families with this condition have been found to have mutations in the PRKAR1A gene. Carney complex is believed to be inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, which means that one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. In most cases, an affected person inherits the mutation from one affected parent.[1][2]
Last updated: 4/6/2015

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
100% of people have these symptoms
Pigmented micronodular adrenocortical disease 0001580
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Multiple lentigines 0001003
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal prolactin level 0040086
Abnormality of circulating adrenocorticotropin level 0011043
Blue nevus 0100814
Cardiac myxoma 0011672
Enlarged polycystic ovaries
Enlarged ovaries with cysts
0008675
Growth hormone excess 0000845
Hirsutism
Excessive hairiness
0001007
Increased circulating cortisol level 0003118
Increased urinary cortisol level
High urine cortisol level
0012030
Peripheral Schwannoma 0009593
Pituitary growth hormone cell adenoma 0011760
Profuse pigmented skin lesions 0005587
Thyroid adenoma 0000854
Thyroid follicular hyperplasia 0008225
Vestibular Schwannoma 0009588
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Adrenal pheochromocytoma 0006748
Congestive heart failure
Cardiac failure
Cardiac failures
Heart failure
[ more ]
0001635
Fibroadenoma of the breast 0010619
Hypertension associated with pheochromocytoma 0002640
Pigmentation of the sclera 0007832
Pituitary prolactin cell adenoma 0006767
Recurrent paroxysmal headache 0002331
Red hair
Red hair color
Red head (hair color)
[ more ]
0002297
Thyroid carcinoma 0002890
Uterine neoplasm
Uterine tumor
0010784
1%-4% of people have these symptoms
Adrenocortical carcinoma 0006744
Bronchogenic cyst 0100730
Cafe-au-lait spot 0000957
Colon cancer 0003003
Hepatocellular adenoma 0012028
Histiocytoma 0012315
Neoplasm of the pancreas
Cancer of the pancreas
Pancreatic tumor
[ more ]
0002894
Osteochondroma 0030431
Parathyroid adenoma 0002897
Sertoli cell neoplasm 0100619
Stomach cancer 0012126
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormality of the eye
Abnormal eye
0000478
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Freckling 0001480
Myxoid subcutaneous tumors 0006769
Nevus
Mole
0003764
Pheochromocytoma 0002666
Pituitary adenoma
Noncancerous tumor in pituitary gland
0002893
Schwannoma 0100008
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

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


Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Carney complex. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

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

Organizations Providing General Support


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

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • 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. 
    Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM)
    Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM)
  • 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 Carney complex. 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. Stratakis CA, Salpea P, Raygada M. Carney Complex. Gene Reviews. January 29, 2015; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1286/. Accessed 4/6/2015.
  2. Carney complex. Genetics Home Reference (GHR). January 2010; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/carney-complex. Accessed 4/6/2015.