Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Pituitary adenomas (PAs)/Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors (PitNETs) are a complex and heterogeneous group of lesions. Genetic and epigenetic studies have been performed to identify predictors of treatment outcome.Study aim: To profile clinically non-aggressive (NA) and aggressive (A) PAs/PitNETs, and carcinomas for somatic mutations and epigenetic alterations of genes involved in cell proliferation/differentiation, miRNA/lncRNA-post-transcript...

Background: Endoscopic surgery (ES) performed in Pituitary Centers of Excellence (PCOE) represents the gold standard treatment for GH-secreting adenomas. However, rate of cure greatly varies according to definition criteria, follow-up duration, various patient and adenoma features, and surgeon ability.Study aim: To assess short- (3 month) and long-term (≥1 year) outcome and identify predictors of ES, in a large and homogeneous cohort of acromegaly ...

Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a rare clinical syndrome due to sudden haemorrhage and/or infarction of the pituitary gland, usually within a pre-existent pituitary tumour. Even though some sporadic cases of PA associated with rare sellar lesions (such as Rathke cleft cysts) have been reported, in the vast majority of cases the syndrome occurs within a pituitary adenoma. At presentation, patients with PA usually complain of sudden and severe headache, often associated with visual l...

Rationale and aim: The incidence of intracranial aneurysms (IA) appears increased in patients with PAs/PitNETs. Changes in hemodynamics and vascular structure secondary to mass effect, inflammation, and hormonal changes (primarily, GH hypersecretion) have been suggested as risk factors. Study aim was to define typical features, timing of occurrence and treatment, and identify risk factors in patients with PA/PitNET and IA.Patients and methods: Data of 57...

Acromegaly is due to increased GH secretion usually sustained by a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma. Somatostatin analogues (SSA) can control GH hypersecretion in 60% of patients and tumor volume in 30%. The disease control is, in turn, associated with lower mortality and therefore to verify the optimal control of the disease activity is of critical importance to adapt the dose and the choice of alternative treatment. The criteria for optimized disease control had been assumed a...

Background: In vitro and animal experiments have clearly demonstrated that excessive cortisol, GH and prolactin secretion, as well as dopamine agonists (D2As) and somatostatin analogs (SSAs), often prescribed for their treatment, affect the immune response and the onset/evolution of autoimmune diseases (AIDs) through direct and indirect complex mechanisms. Data from clinical studies are very scanty.Study aim: To assess the 1) distribution of AIDs accordi...

Rationale and aim: A recent pangenomic study documented a subset of somatotroph mostly GNAS-wildtype PitNET/adenomas co-express steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1). Aim of our study was to investigate clinical and molecular features of a cohort of these tumour subtype. Study sample: We identified 20 cases of SF1-expressing somatotropinomas out of 173 (11.6%) operated via transsphenoidal endoscopic approach in 3 referral Pituitary Centers patients. Pre- and post...

Pituitary antibodies have been measured mainly to identify patients whose disease is caused or sustained by pituitary-specific autoimmunity. Although reported in over 100 publications, this antibody test has variable results and limited clinical utility. Our goals were to: identify major sources of variability; test them experimentally for establishing an optimized immunofluorescence protocol; assess prevalence and significance of pituitary antibodies in patients with pituitar...