Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Some functional neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) secrete serotonin, leading to the symptoms of carcinoid syndrome (e.g. diarrhoea and flushing). In this condition, increased urinary concentrations of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) are often detected. Measurement of 24-hour urinary 5-HIAA is therefore used to investigate patients with confirmed or suspected carcinoid syndrome. We sought to evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness o...

A 69 year old male was referred with a 60 year history of recurrent hypoglycaemia. Over the previous 12 months he had several episodes of severe hypoglycaemia, which necessitated emergency treatment from paramedics. He had been diagnosed with a hypoglycaemic disorder at the age of 9 years, but no underlying cause had been identified. He had no other previous history of note, though he was macrosomic at birth with a birth weight of approximately 5.9 kg. His mother was diagnosed...

Background: The median survival for patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumours is greater than 5 years. Despite a heavy burden of metastatic disease and an incurable diagnosis many patients continue with a relatively normal lifestyle. Vast amounts of time and money is spent on diagnosing and treating the physical aspects of cancer but little is currently available to help with the psychological wellbeing of our patients. As NET nurses we spend large amounts of our time ta...

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 ...

Case history: A 54-year-old lady was diagnosed with primary hypoparathyroidism in 2006, after being referred by her Rheumatologist as her father and brother had familial hypoparathyroidism and sensorineural deafness. She was followed up in endocrine clinic for management of primary hypoparathyroidism. Her hypocalcaemia is well managed with calcium supplementation, with no specific symptoms of hypocalcaemia. She has recurrent urinary tract infections with known borderline chro...

Appreciation of hormonal control over mitochondrial function has increased over recent decades. Mitochondria adapt to the cellular environment through a variety of mechanisms; mitochondrial dynamics (fusion, fission, transfer) or through the signalling of a variety of proteins to induce mitophagy, depending on the cell stressor. In parallel, nuclear receptors and the production of their steroid hormone ligands within mitochondria have been a reoccurring incidental measurement....

Background: Improved diagnostic precision is achieved with the addition of transcription factor (TF) analysis to characterise pituitary tumours. Clinicopathological studies have demonstrated a reduction in the prevalence of true null cell tumours (NC) and a rise in plurihormonal (PH) tumours, in comparison to methods based on hormone staining. There remains a high degree of heterogeneity in epidemiological and clinical patterns seen in studies. We hypothesise that variations i...

Introduction: Pituitary tumours may express somatostatin receptors (SSTR), which are a potential drug target to achieve tumour reduction and control of hormone secretion. There is a well-established role for somatostatin analogues in the management of acromegaly and Cushing’s disease. The recent 2022 WHO classification of pituitary tumours provides a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis of pituitary tumours, allowing identification of additional morphological subtypes....

Background: Rapid progression of corticotroph tumours can occur after bilateral adrenalectomy for treatment of Cushing’s disease. There are currently no guidelines to assist with management of aggressive cases of Nelson’s syndrome, particularly after surgery and radiotherapy.Clinical case: A 53 year old woman presented with classic clinical features of hypercortisolism. Initial investigations showed a markedly elevated 24 hour urine cortisol le...