Endocrine Abstracts

It is now well demonstrated that, in the human adrenal gland, aldosterone and cortisol productions are stimulated by autocrine/paracrine factors, like serotonin (5-HT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP). Several data indicate that these signals may also be involved in the regulation of corticosteroidogenesis in adrenocortical hyperplasias and tumors. 5-HT is detected in clusters of steroidogenic cells in aldosterone-producing adrenocortical adenomas (APAs), and in both ACTH-indepe...

The Carney complex (CNC) is a dominantly inherited syndrome characterized by spotty skin pigmentation, endocrine overactivity and myxomas. The most common endocrine gland manifestations are acromegaly, thyroid tumors, testicular tumors, and ACTH-independent Cushing’s syndrome due to primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease (PPNAD). PPNAD, a rare cause of Cushing’s syndrome, is due to primary bilateral adrenal defect that can be also observed in some patients ...

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Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and heterogeneous malignancy with incompletely understood pathogenesis and poor prognosis. Recent data from the German ACC Registry (n=377) demonstrate an overall 5-year survival of 46%. Survival is clearly stage-dependent (P<0.01) with a 5-year survival of 85% in stage 1, 56% in stage 2, 42% in stage 3, and 16% in stage 4, respectively.In stages I –III open surgery by an expert surgeon aimi...