Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Craniopharyngioma is a rare epithelial tumor of the central nervous system, affecting both children and adults and associated with significant morbidity.Objective: To study the potential differences in the clinical and radiological presentation of craniopharyngioma in children versus adults in a large mixed cohort.Material and methods: We performed a retrospective review of craniopharyngioma patients evaluated in the Na...

In acromegaly, treatment with somatostatin analogs (SSA) normalizes growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) secretion in about half of the patients. Usually, the disease relapses biochemically within few months after treatment withdrawal.We present two acromegalic patients, women of 49 and 53 years at diagnosis, respectively, who achieved stable remission of the disease after medical treatment withdrawal. One had a microadenoma, the o...

Introduction: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is a well known risk factor for thyroid lymphoma. A rapidly enlarging goiter accompanied by lymph nodes pressure on surrounding structures usually suggest the development of thyroid lymphoma.Case report: An 85 years old hypertensive women presented for a massive goiter extending from the lower jaw to clavicle which increased in size for the last 5 months. She also complained of dysphagia, hoarseness and sho...

Background: Insulinomas, the most common functional neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas, are usually sporadic, benign and solitary.Aims: To assess biochemical data, localisation and treatment outcome of insulinomas diagnosed in a tertiary endocrine centre.Patients and methods: Twenty-five patients (14 F/11 M), aged 49.1±14.1 years, diagnosed with insulinoma in a Neuroendocrine Tumours centre between 2000 and 2014 were retro...

Introduction: Pituitary apoplexy is a rare syndrome due to hemorrhagic infarction of a pituitary adenoma. It may be clinically overt (sudden, severe headache, visual disturbances, impairment in pituitary function, and altered consciousness), or subclinical. Pregnancy is a rare predisposing factor, which may raise difficulties in the diagnosis and treatment.Case presentation: A 25 years woman diagnosed with a 1/0.8 cm prolactinoma, initial serum PRL 61.5 ...

Introduction: Composite pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor composed histologically of pheochromocytoma and other neurogenic tumor components such as neuroblastoma, ganglioneuroblastoma, ganglioneuroma, peripheral nerve sheath tumor, or other types of neuroendocrine carcinoma. The frequency of composite adrenal tumors reportedly ranges from <3% of all adrenal gland neoplasms to 1–9% of pheochromocytomas. The clinicopathological diagnosis of composite pheochromocytoma is...

Introduction: Histiocytosis X is a rare disease involving clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells, abnormal cells deriving from bone marrow and capable of migrating from skin to lymph nodes. Its manifestations range from isolated bone lesions to multisystem disease. Seen mostly in children, multifocal histiocytosis may involve in 50% of cases the pituitary stalk, leading to diabetes insipidus and usually permanent pituitary deficiencies. We present an adult patient with a com...

Lanreotide has long been used in the therapy of GH secreting pituitary adenomas and other somatostatin receptor positive neuroendocrine tumors.Aims: To determine the impact on glucose metabolism of the 6 months of lanreotide therapy, beside of the antisecretory and antiproliferative effects.Patients and methods: Seven patients with active acromegaly treated with lanreotide, admitted in the Department of Neuroendocrinology, Institut...

IntroductionThyrotropinoma is a rare pituitary tumor ( <2% of pituitary adenomas) arising from PIT1-lineage cells, which expresses and secrete TSH. In most cases, the etiology is unknown but rare cases have been described to arise in context of MEN 1 syndrome. Diagnosis is often delayed by confusion with primary hyperthyroidism, which determine the tumor to be already large and invasive at the time of diagnosis. GH and prolactin cosecretion is an increas...

Introduction: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine tumor derived from C cells that is responsible for approximately 5% of the gland malignancies, most of them occuring sporadically. Lymph node metastasis may occur early in disease pathogenesis and is one of the most important negative prognostic factor. Surgery is the only curative therapy while other chemotherapeutic options are limited. Neuroendocrine differentiated C cells may express somatostat...