Endocrine Abstracts

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PNETs), although reported with increasing frequency through increased use of abdominal imaging, are rare and uncommon tumours (1 per 100,000 population) representing 1–2% of all pancreatic neoplasms. Preoperative diagnosis is important since a solitary small tumour without evidence of metastatic spread may be suitable for pancreatic preserving surgery such as enucleation or middle segment resection rather than more extensive resection. H...

Case History: In 2011, an asymptomatic 63-year-old professor was found to have isolated hypokalemia. He was normotensive and his only past medical history was hypercholesterolaemia. Investigations were suggestive of Primary Hyperaldosteronism (PHA): aldosterone 1055 pmol/L, renin mass 10 mU/L, Na+137 mmol/L, K+3.2 mmol/L, bicarbonate 31 mmol/L. A CT scan was reported as normal, but a 12mm nodule was subsequently noted contiguous with the left adrenal. A m...

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the cause of 5–10% of hypertension, surgically curable in patients with unilateral aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs). However <1% of patients are currently diagnosed and cured. Newer and simpler modalities of diagnosis and treatment are required. The aim of FABULAS (a feasibility study of endoscopic ultrasound-guided ablation as a non-surgical, adrenal sparing treatment for aldosterone-producing adenomas) is to determine in 30 patient...

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) occur in multiple tissues and vary widely in clinical behaviour. Up to 70% of diagnosed patients have elevated circulating levels of chromogranin A, the only serum marker commonly used in clinical practice. However, its low sensitivity and the identification of confounding factors that compromise specificity have raised the need for additional or alternative markers for disease detection and management. Here we aimed to discover candidate NET mark...

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the potentially curable cause of high-risk hypertension in 5-10% of unselected patients. Diagnosis and lateralisation of PA is challenging and complex. Outcomes post total adrenalectomy, the standard treatment for unilateral aldosterone producing adenomas (APAs), are variable. Between 30-60% are cured (1), but prediction of outcome is unreliable, and some patients are reluctant to have abdominal surgery to remove a whole adrenal gland. Endoscopic ...