Endocrine Abstracts

Prolactinomas are the most common pituitary tumours with a prevalence varying from 0.3 to 0.5/1000 in the general population. This tumor has a large female predominance and a median age at diagnosis of 30 years. Prolactinomas in men are characterized by a larger size and a higher frequency of compressive symptoms, invasiveness, and resistance to therapy. Although the diagnosis of prolactinoma is often straightforward and the treatment strategy has been well defined in recent g...

Background: Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is an autosomal dominant inherited tumour syndrome with an important phenotypic variability. Genetic testing for VHL is simple and accurate.Objective: In this study, we investigated the relationships between genotype and phenotype in a series of patients with different VHL gene mutations.Method: This was a retrospective analysis of the clinical and molecular characteristics of 15 VHL pati...

Background: Acromegaly is frequently associated with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or diabetes and treatment has also differential effects on glucose metabolism depending on specific type of medication.Objective: To study in 57 acromegalic patients evolution of glucose metabolism according to disease activity and treatment.Methods: IGF1 measurement, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and HOMA test to evaluate insulin sensitivity...

Introduction: Men with prolactinoma often present with larger tumors than women. Whether giant prolactinomas (≥4 cm, GP) present differently and achieve the same outcomes as non-giant macroprolatinomas (1-3.9 cm, MP) or microprolactinomas (<1 cm, mP) is not clearly established.Methods: We report retrospective data from a monocentric cohort of 129 men with prolactinoma and we compare baseline characteristics and treatment response in patients wi...

Introduction: The poor prognosis of patients with Cushing’s syndrome due to ectopic ACTH secretion (ECS) requires prompt diagnosis and management of the disease. Objectives: To find clinical and biological differences between ECS and pituitary Cushing’s disease (CD) at diagnosis and to determine whether any of them may be a potential predictor for early suspicion of ECS. Methods: This was a retrospective case-nested study...

Introduction: Giant pheochromocytomas (PCs) are adrenal tumors greater than 7 cm. The incidence and presentation of these large tumors is not well known, with only a few case reports published in literature. The preoperative and surgical management of giant PCs is also not well established.Material and methods: A retrospective monocentric study at a tertiary center of 80 consecutive patients operated for a PC between 1988 and 2018....

Introduction: Thyrotropin receptor stimulating antibodies (TRAb) are responsible for Graves’ disease (GD) manifestations. Other thyroid antibodies, namely thyroperoxidase (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin (TGAb) antibodies are highly prevalent in GD, but their roles in GD presentation and evolution are controversial.Methods: We retrospectively analysed TPOAb and TGAb levels and evolution in 88 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed GD between 2000 and 20...

Introduction: The Incidental diagnosis of non-functioning pituitary macroadenomas (NPFMA) is becoming more prevalent with the spread of modern imaging techniques. More clinical data about their natural history and surgical results are needed. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical files of patients referred to our clinic for an incidental NFPMA between 2010 and 2019. In particular, we compared patients that experienced tumor growth or not during su...

Background: Insulinomas are the most common functional neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas. Hypoglycaemic manifestations are highly variable and largely independent on tumour size and severity of insulin hypersecretion.Objectives: In this study we investigated the clinical, biological and tumoural characteristics of a large series of patients with insulinoma and we evaluated the sensitivity of peripheral tissues to insulin before and after surgery.</p...

Gangliocytomas are uncommon neuronal tumors that can sometimes cause endocrine syndromes. A few such cases have been reported in association with Cushing’s disease. In most instances, the tumor contained CRH and was associated with pituitary corticotroph hyperplasia or adenoma (mixed lesion). Only one case of isolated gangliocytoma causing Cushing’s disease per se has been described.We report the case of a 62 year-old woman whose clinical pictu...