Endocrine Abstracts

Pituitary adenomas consist of a group of highly heterogeneous intracranial tumours with variable presentation, clinical prognosis and management. High throughput sequencing was used in order to try and identify common de-regulated pathways and characterize tumours according to specific molecular behaviour. RNA sequencing (RNAseq) was chosen since it provides not only information regarding the expression profile but also the mutational load of each specific tumour analysed. 58 ...

Introduction: The sequelae of surgically treated non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA) is an important area of study to help plan management. The aim was to study all Maltese patients who had a surgically treated NFPA and analyse the results of surgery, risk factors for tumour recurrence/regrowth and the role of postoperative radiotherapy.Materials and methods: One hundred and seventy-five patients were identified as having a NFPA of whom 77 had unde...

Phaeochromocytoma/paragangliomas (PPGLs) are relatively rare tumours and the health burden of such tumours is not very well known.Aim: This population based study aims to characterise all the phaeochromocytomas, paragangliomas and adrenal medullary hyperplasia diagnosed between 2007 and 2016 in Malta; looking into presentation, hormonal analysis, imaging characteristics and histology findings.Results: 16 ...

Phaeochromocytoma/paragangliomas (PPGLs) are relatively rare tumours and the health burden of such tumours is not very well known.Aim: This population based study aims to characterise all the phaeochromocytomas, paragangliomas and adrenal medullary hyperplasia diagnosed between 2007 and 2016 in Malta; looking into presentation, hormonal analysis, imaging characteristics and histology findings.Results: 16 ...

Pituitary tumorigenesis has been analysed from multiple perspectives, yet mRNA expression profiling studies are limited. In this study, microarray analysis was used to identify pathways and networks related to pituitary tumour physiology using key de-regulated genes and bioinformatics analysis. Eight pituitary adenomas (five non-functional tumours, two GH-secreting tumours and a TSH/prolactin-secreting tumour) and a pool of random normal control RNA were profiled for RNA expre...

Aim: To ascertain epidemiology and outcomes in Maltese patients with acromegaly.Method: Retrospective case record study of acromegalic patients diagnosed between 1979 and 2008.Results: Forty-seven patients were recruited (25 females and 22 males). The prevalence of acromegaly in the Maltese population was 11.4 per 100 000 population. Of 77% had a macroadenoma (53% extrasellar, 24% intrasellar). Of 15% had a microadenoma. Two tumour...

Aim: To evaluate epidemiology, clinical presentation, treatment and subsequent outcomes in Maltese patients with NFPA.Methods: Retrospective case record study of all patients with NFPA.Results: Forty-eight patients with a NFPA were identified with an estimated prevalence of 1.16 per 10 000 population. 58% of these were male and the mean age at presentation was 50.6 years (S.D. 13.4 years) (men – 52.5 years; wome...

The Wnt developmental pathway has been implicated in tumour growth and development in a number of tissues. Most frequently, the canonical Wnt pathway acting through the nuclear translocation of B-catenin has been the key player in driving tumour growth. However, non-canonical Wnt pathways, namely the Wnt-Calcium signalling and the Wnt-planar polarity pathways have also been found de-regulated in a number of cancers. In this study, microarray analysis on locally resected PA rev...

Background: PAs are the most frequent pituitary neoplasms, however molecular pathogenesis is largely unknown. The AHR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates expression of various genes that mediate cellular response to xenobiotics. The exact functional role of two AHR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); Arginine554Lysine (Arg554Lys) and Valine570Isoleucine (Val570Ile) has not yet been established, however studies suggest that these mutations might increa...

Aim: The sequelae of surgically treated pituitary adenomas (PAs) is an important area of study to help guide management. Our study aims to analyse all PAs, functional and non-functional, which were operated until the end of 2022 in a well-defined population and to identify radiological characteristics that can predict recurrence before operation.Methods: 206 PAs were evaluated along with their clinical, radiological, and histopathological characteristics...