Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Treatment of patients with acromegaly caused by pituitary adenoma with somatostatin analogues leads to significant tumour shrinkage in 23–73% of the cases. Although not widely accepted, it has been suggested that the surgical remission rate may be improved by pre-operative treatment with these agents.Aim: To assess whether the degree of tumour shrinkage by lanreotide offered pre-operatively affects the surgical success in acromegalics wi...

Background: Nadir GH<2 mU/l in OGTT, normal IGF-I and mean GH<5 mU/l in the growth hormone day curve (GHDC) are considered the therapeutic endpoints in patients with acromegaly. However, discrepancies between these parameters have been reported.Aim: To compare the utility of the above tests in assessing the acromegaly status following surgical treatment.Patients and methods: Twenty-six consecutive patients (16 females) diag...

Introduction: In the UK, most adult patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) continue with growth hormone (GH) treatment indefinitely, even when they do not report any benefits from treatment. To date, the optimal duration of GH treatment in adults has not been established. We conducted a survey of UK endocrine clinicians between 01/06/2022 and 31/08/2022 to understand current practices regarding GH treatment discontinuation in adults with GHD.<p clas...

Background: Dopamine agonists (DA) are included in the management algorithm of acromegaly. Studies on cabergoline monotherapy report IGF-1 normalisation in between 0% and 100% of the patients during treatment periods ranging between 2.6 and 24 months. However, in many of these studies, previous radiotherapy is a confounding factor. Furthermore, real world data applying the current disease control criteria (normal IGF-1 and GH<1 mg/l) are not available. The aim of this stud...

Background: The detection of phaeochromocytomas evolved from autopsy finding to presentation in symptomatic/hypertensive, and genetically-predisposed individuals. Increasingly, phaeochromocytomas are diagnosed in incidental adrenal masses and the impact on the clinical, biochemical, and radiological features is unclear.Methods: Retrospective review of patients with phaeochromocytomas seen at a large tertiary referral centre between January 2010 and May 2...

Background: Endocrinology is well-established as an outpatient specialty. However, virtually no data exist on the volume, nature, management and disposal of inpatient referrals to inform the design and delivery of a quality-assured service.Methods: We undertook an audit of all activity of the Inpatient Endocrine Service at University Hospitals Birmingham NHSFT (IES@UHB) between January 2010 and December 2015. Referrals received electronically via the Pat...

The prolactin receptor (PRLR) is a type-I cytokine receptor that plays critical roles in mammary gland development, lactation and glucose metabolism, and PRLR mutations have been associated with breast cancer and familial hyperprolactinaemia. The PRLR signals via Janus kinase-2-signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 (JAK2-STAT5) or phosphoinositide 3-kinase-Akt (PI3K-Akt) pathways to mediate changes in transcription, differentiation and proliferation, and we hypoth...

Introduction: Bilateral adrenalectomy (BADx) is a treatment option in ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome refractory to other therapeutic modalities or can be an emergency measure in cases with severe manifestations of hypercortisolaemia.Aim: To review the outcomes of our patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing’s offered BADx.Methods: Records of patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing’s managed by BADx and seen in our Depart...

Introduction: Data on the mortality of patients with non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma (NFA) are limited. Aim: To assess the mortality of patients with NFA and predictive factors.Patients/methods: All patients presenting to our Department with NFA between 1963 and 2011 were studied. Status was recorded as either dead or alive, as of 31 December 2011.Results: 546 patients (333 males) were identified (median age at surgery 58.7 ...

Introduction: Data on the mortality of patients with non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma (NFA) are very limited.Aim: To assess the mortality of patients with NFA and factors predicting it.Patients and methods: All patients presenting to our department with NFA between 1963 and 2011 were studied. Status was recorded as either dead or alive, as of 31st December 2011.Results: 546 patients (333 males) were ide...