Endocrine Abstracts

Pituitary adenomas are not rare, with a prevalence of around 1/1000 population. However, their pathogenesis has defied decades of careful study. Many groups including our own have shown a plethora of changes within these tumours, with silencing, often epigenetic, of many tumour suppressors, suggesting activation of a pro-proliferative programme. However, apart from the Milan group’s Gsp mutation in somatotrophinomas no single mutational oncogenic event has been demonstrat...

The gases nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) function as intercellular messengers in a completely novel manner, providing a medium of cellular communication quite distinct from the classical neuroregulators. These agents will diffuse according to their physicochemical characteristics, in evanescent 'puffs' with spherical limits, unconstrained by formal cell boundaries. Most work has concentrated on their roles in inflammation and control of the vascular tree, but there...

The majority of space-occupying lesions in the region of the pituitary are adenomas, but a substantial minority (c. 10%) are either non-adenomatous pituitary 'tumors', or are hypothalamic lesions. A useful clue is that primary pituitary adenomas only very rarely present with diabetes insipidus. In the case of a hypothalamic lesion, problems with appetite, thirst control and short-term memory can be therapeutically highly problematic. Apart from craniopharyngiomas, the most com...

In 1547 Henry VIII died, and was succeeded by his young son from his marriage to Jane Seymour; the boy was only 9 years old, and became Edward VI. However, he was a sickly child, and only survived to the age of 15 years, probably dying of TB. With no living male heir, there was an attempt at continuing with a Protestant monarch, but this lasted only 9-days with the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey. The crown then fell to Mary, the child of the marriage of Henry to Catherine of Arago...

The term pituitary tumour usually implies an adenoma arising from anterior pituitary tissue, but in fact some 2–5% of ‘tumours’ in this region are not adenomas, and many of these arise from the para-sellar region or within the hypothalamus. One clue as to the non-adenomatous origin of such tumours is the presence of diabetes insipidus, which is almost never present with a primary pituitary adenoma. Some 1% of sellar masses are metastases, most often from the fre...

This prestigious prize is intended for established workers in the field of basic and clinical neuroendocrinology and is generously supported by Ipsen. This year’s recipient is Prof. Ashley Grossman. The prize will be presented as part of the ECE 2014 opening ceremony where Prof. Grossman will deliver his lecture. Prof. Grossman will also deliver two other lectures at future ESE scientific meetings. Further information can be found at <a href="http://www.ese-hormones.org/p...

Pituitary tumours have recently been shown to have a prevalence of around one in a 1000, but the overwhelming majority of these are benign and readily treated. Nevertheless, while the initial therapy of the majority of non-secreting macroadenomas is transsphenoidal surgery, these have a high tendency to recur; recurrence cannot at present be predicted by any histopathological markers. Indeed, some 50% of such adenomas will recur over 10 years, although this recurrence rate is ...

The great majority of phaeochromocytomas are benign, but some 10–15% are found to be malignant, the proportion being higher when they are extra-adrenal, paragangliomas. Malignant behaviour is hard to predict, and there are few histopathological features that are consistently of use. There are novel biochemical and molecular markers, but none has proven to be as yet especially reliable although elevated urinary methoxytyramine seems to be useful. At present, size is proba...

Pituitary tumours have recently been shown to have a prevalence of around one in a 1000, but the overwhelming majority of these are benign and readily treated. Nevertheless, while the initial therapy of the majority of non-secreting macroadenomas is transsphenoidal surgery, these have a tendency to recur even when apparently totally removed. Recurrence seems not to depend on dural invasion, and it cannot at present be predicted by any histopathological markers. Indeed, some 50...

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are usually taken to include gastro-enterohepatic tumors including islet cell tumours and carcinoids; recent data suggest an overall incidence of around 30/million/year, but since such tumours usually present late curative surgery is rarely an option and chemotherapy of limited benefit. Radionuclide scintigraphy with somatostatin (SMS) analogues such as 111In-octreotide demonstrate the presence of SMS receptors in some 80%-90% of NETS; we have use...