Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Acromegaly is an endocrine disease associated with an abnormal growth-hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) excess. Multiple studies demonstrated an association between these factors and pathways that play a major role in tumor proliferation, survival and resistance to anti-cancer therapies in many human malignancies.

Objectives: We wanted to study the incidence and types of tumors which are associated with Acromegaly.

Material and Method: We analyzed the data from all the patients who were diagnosed with Acromegaly between 2001 and 2021 in our Department of Endocrinology. Patient’s data was collected retrospectively and included personal history, clinical examination, laboratory assessment and magnetic resonance imaging results. The study-group included 32 patients, aged between 20 and 64 years, 9 men (28,12 %) and 23 women (71,87 %). The mean age at Acromegaly diagnosis was 50+/-5,41 years old and mean age when the first tumor was diagnosed: 46+/-10 years old. GH and IGF-1 mean levels at diagnosis were 21,31 ng/ml and 639 ng/ml respectively. Acromegaly was controlled in 50 % of the patients after therapy.

Results: Twenty-three(75 %) acromegalic patients were diagnosed with different forms of tumors and 15% of these were malignant. Four (44 %) men were diagnosed with tumors and all were benign. The most frequent tumors were multinodular goiter and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Eighteen (75 %) women were diagnosed with tumors, from which 20% (5 cases) were malignant. The most common benign tumor was multinodular goiter and the most frequent malignant tumor was papillary thyroid carcinoma. Acromegaly and diagnosis of tumors coincided in 52 % of the patients, most likely because screening for thyroid pathology was implemented. Among women diagnosed with cancer, one patient died as a result of this pathology.

Conclusions: Both women and men diagnosed with Acromegaly suffered more frequently form benign nodular goiter and only among women there were cases of malignant tumors. Keywords: Acromegaly, Pituitary, Thyroid, Tumors