Other Carney Complex FAQs

In some cases, yes. Pregnant women diagnosed with Carney complex and those who have tested positive for the genetic mutation can work with a healthcare provider to get prenatal testing for Carney complex.

People with Carney complex may also want to talk with a genetic counselor before they try to start a family to discuss the possibility of passing the genetic mutation to their children and to discuss options if they find it difficult to conceive naturally. The National Society for Genetic Counselors offers a search of its members on its website at https://findageneticcounselor.nsgc.org/?reload=timezone .

It can.

In females, Carney complex may cause abnormal hormone levels or cysts on the ovaries, which can affect menstruation and ovulation and, therefore, fertility.

In males, Carney complex can cause large-cell calcifying Sertoli cell tumors in the testes. Larger tumors in the testes may block the sperm tubules or cause hormone imbalances that result in infertility.

Most tumors in Carney complex are noncancerous (also called benign). However, people with Carney complex have a higher risk than people without Carney complex for certain types of cancer.

Cancerous (or malignant tumors)—called carcinomas—most associated with Carney complex include liver, ovarian, testicular, and pancreatic cancer.¹ In rare cases, Carney complex is associated with thyroid cancer and cancer of the cells around nerves.

But Carney complex itself is not cancer.