Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Growth hormone directly stimulates tumour growth, angiogenesis and metastasis through autocrine and paracrine effects on cancer cells, while through IGF1 inhibits apoptosis and promotes epithelial proliferation. Although disputed, some studies have shown an increased cancer incidence in acromegaly patients, especially in uncontrolled subjects, while others have not.Aim: To assess prevalence of cancer in a cohort of patients with long term tre...

Background: Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy. Standard treatment includes thyroidectomy (extention depending on tumour size, pathology and lymph nodes involvement). If indicated, radioiodine therapy after TSH stimulation either by levothyroxine withdrawal or rhTSH administration is recommended. In patients with thyrotropin deficiency rhTSH administration is mandatory.Case report: A 30-year-old woman, resident in...

Background: Prolonged ingestion of licorice has been known to cause hypokalemia and resistant hypertension amongst other disturbances. This is due to glycyrrhizin that inhibits the 11-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme type 2 which results into increased plasma cortisol levels that stimulate the mineralocorticoid receptors resulting into apparent mineralocorticoid excess.Case report: A 45-year-old woman resident in an iodine sufficient area, heav...

Background: Prevalence of neuroendocrine neoplasms is increasing and multidisciplinary approach is mandatory. This study aimed to assess the outcome of patients with gastroenteropancreatic neoplasms (GEP NEN) presenting in a tertiary endocrine center.Methods: Retrospective study on 36 patients (16 M/20 F) with pathology confirmed GEP NEN, aged 51.9 ± 12.7 years. Serum chromogranin A, serotonin, neuron-specific enolase...

Background: Subacute thyroiditis, autoimmune thyroiditis and an atypical form of thyroiditis due to primary injury of the thyroid gland by SARS Cov2 itself are complications of COVID-19. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 is also expressed in the thyroid gland. On the other hand, both untreated thyrotoxicosis and COVID-19 affects heart, generating cardiac complications.Case report: A 36-year-old woman resident in an iodine sufficient area, heavy smoker, pre...

Context: The current pandemic showed a great handling of the resources and research in order to find not only a way to cure but also to prevent and improve the course of the Covid-19 infection. Optimal vitamin D (VD) levels and treatment was seen as a potential aid due, in principal, to its immunomodulatory effect. The ACE-2 receptor is the key the virus uses for entering the body, but its location is not restricted to the lungs, it’s also found in the adrenal cortex. At ...

Background: While growth hormone (GH) is involved in oncogenic transformation and IGF1 inhibits apoptosis, studies and case reports have shown an association between prolactin (PRL) and prostate cell proliferation, breast, gynecological, colorectal and hematopoietic cancer.Aim: To compare the cancer rates in prolactinomas vs. acromegaly.Methods: Retrospective study by analyzing the...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency, estimated to affect almost one billion people worldwide. Multiple factors influence 25(OH)D levels: nutrition, sunlight exposure, outdoor physical activity, skin color. Patients with active acromegaly (AA) have lower 25(OH)D levels compared with healthy population and are at a higher risk to develop vitamin D deficiency. Also, some studies have suggested a possible protective role of vitamin D on the c...

Background: During the past decades, the prevalence of both obesity and differentiated thyroid carcinoma increased worldwide. The link between obesity and thyroid cancer is controversial. Some studies found a relationship between obesity and thyroid carcinoma (especially BRAFV600E mutated) and between type 2 diabetes mellitus and thyroid cancer, while other did not. Aim: To assess the relationship between papillary thyroid carcinoma and increa...