Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Lanreotide Autogel(R) is a long-acting somatostatin analogue preparation that is presented in pre-filled syringes for deep subcutaneous (sc) injection. The efficacy and tolerability of lanreotide Autogel given in titrated doses (ATG-TITRATE) for the treatment of acromegaly was assessed during this study.Methods: The study extended an existing study, during which fixed doses of lanreotide Autogel (ATG-FIX, 60, 90 and 120 mg) were ...

Introduction: Phaeochromocytoma (PHAEO) and paraganglioma (PGL) are neuroendocrine tumors arising from neural crest-derived cells either in the adrenal gland (PHAEO) or along the central sympathetic and parasympathetic chains (PGL), including the carotid body. There is convincing evidence linking hypoxia pathways with development of PHAEO/PGL especially with genetic susceptibility. Association between PHAEO and PGL and cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) are well recognise...

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is associated with insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism and dyslipidaemia but the effects of these disturbances on long-term health are not known.Aims: To determine the relative risk of diabetes, cancer, large vessel disease (LVD) and death for young women diagnosed with PCOS.Design: Data were extracted from The General Practice Research Database (GPRD), a longitudinal, anonymised resear...

We present a case of a 52 year old man with a past medical history of primary hypothyroidism on treatment, presenting with elevated TSH levels, suggesting inadequate thyroxine replacement. The patient was managed with 200 mcg of thyroxine for 14 years with no compliance issues. TSH levels failed to normalise despite increasing the dose of thyroxine. In addition to elevated TSH levels the patient noted progressive leg swelling and associated shortness of breath over the precedi...

A 68-year-old previously well man was referred to the endocrinology department in April 2007 with generalised tiredness and dizziness following a recent viral upper respiratory illness. He had no symptoms to suggest pituitary dysfunction. He was normotensive and lacked clinical features of hypopituitarism or dysthyroidism. Visual fields were normal to confrontation. Testicular volumes were normal. Initial baseline pituitary function tests (reference ranges in brackets): FT<sub...

A 62-year-old woman was referred to the endocrine clinic with new onset thyrotoxicosis. She had previously had two other conditions affecting her thyroid gland. In 1977, she underwent a right thyroid lobectomy for a non-functioning thyroid adenoma. In 2002, she presented with a rapidly enlarging left sided goitre, which proved to be thyroid B-cell lymphoma on core biopsy. She was treated with chemotherapy alone and remains under regular haematology follow up. Serial thyroid fu...

Introduction: Prostate carcinoma is a recognised yet rare cause of Cushing’s syndrome. This report describes two cases in which Cushing’s syndrome was associated with advanced prostate cancer.Case 1: A 70-year man presented with a very short history of swelling of his face and legs. He was known to have prostate adenocarcinoma with bony metastases. He was hypokalaemic and resistant to standard potassium replacement. He had a Cushingoid appearan...

Introduction Diabetes is a strong risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Coronary artery calcium measurement (CAC) provides a non-invasive accurate assessment of the presence and severity of CHD, and thus the need for further cardiological investigations and risk-factor modifications.Methods We analysed data from CACS assessment on 3337 male subjects who had no cardiovascular symptoms, of whom 188 had diabetes. CACS was measured by an Electron Bea...

Background: Tamoxifen is a partial estrogen agonist used to treat estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. It has been discovered however that resistance to tamoxifen develops in some cancers. In order to investigate the mechanisms underlying the development of resistance we have created a tamoxifen resistant breast cancer cell line.Aims: To develop a breast cancer cell line that is resistant to the anti-growth effects of tamoxifen.<p class="abstext...

IntroductionCurrent guidelines advocate the use of statins in all patients with diabetes for primary prevention of CHD, regardless of cholesterol levels. Measurement of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in diabetic patients is reported to offer a superior prognostic assessment of an individual's risk of cardiovascular disease than the Framingham Risk assessment. To date, there have been no studies of CACS in the UK diabetic population.<p class="ab...