Endocrine Abstracts

Acromegaly is a disease due, almost in all cases, to a pituitary adenoma (PA) characterized by GH hypersecretion. Its prevalence seems widely variable among different geographic areas, ranging 36–151 cases ×106 of inhabitants (c.p.m.). Apart from the possible underestimation due to misdiagnosis, reliable epidemiological studies showed that the prevalence of acromegaly could be 4–5 times higher in some geographic areas than in other ones, independently by presuma...

Introduction: CyberKnife (CK), an innovative LINAC-based robotic device for frameless stereotactic surgery, is an emerging approach in the management of tumours of the sellar region.Patients and methods: In total, 14 patients (six men, mean age 52.7 years) with sellar tumours (three craniopharyngiomas and 11 pituitary adenomas) were evaluated. Pituitary adenomas (PA) were non-functioning (7), GH-secreting (2), one GH/TSH-secreting (1) or PRL-secreting (1...

Introduction: Cytokines have been suggested to be involved in modulating anti-tumor responses and promoting tumor growth. Some studies have indicated that cytokines could also be involved in the pathogenesis of pituitary tumors. Th17 cells, characterized by expression of several cytokines as interleukin 22 (IL 22), might have a role in tumor immune-surveillance. IL-22 is a cytokine involved in the modulation of tissue responses during inflammation and, through activation of St...

Sleep related breathing disorders (SRBD), due to bone mass and soft tissue swelling of the upper airways, are frequently reported by acromegalic patients, but sleep disorders other than SRBD were rarely studied in acromegaly. We evaluated 38 acromegalics (14 M, 24 F, age 52.8±2.3 yrs) by a structured interview for insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), SRBD, sleep related movement disorders (SRMD), circadian sleep disorders and parasomnias. Epworth sleepness scale ...

ACROSTUDY is an international observational study to evaluate efficacy and safety of long-term treatment with pegvisomant (PEGA) in acromegaly. ACROSTUDY Italy was started in 2007 and we report data from the first 185 patients (93M, 92F, mean age, range, 49.9 y; 17–83.8 y) treated with PEGA (mean duration, range, 3.2 y, 0.1–8.5 y), from 24 centers, until 01/2010. Before and during PEGA, IGF1, GH-Ab, liver enzymes, metabolic parameters and pituitary MRI were assessed....

Introduction: Acromegalic patients have an increased risk of developing colorectal neoplasms (CN). A common polymorphism (C677T) in gene coding for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a key enzyme in folate metabolism and in DNA synthesis, reparation and methylation, has been associated with CN risk in general population, but its role in acromegalic patients has never been explored yet.Aim: To investigate the contribution of MTHFR C677T polymorp...

Introduction: Primary empty sella (PES) is a frequent ‘incidental’ finding reported in 5–25% of general population and is associated with endocrine abnormalities in 8–60% of cases. In this collaborative multicentric study we evaluated cardiovascular risk by assessing clinical characteristics, glucidic profile and lipid parameters.Design: A total of 94 PES patients (39M-55F; mean age 50.3±0.9 years; mean BMI 28.9±0.5 kg/m<sup...