Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Although computed tomography (CT) is the best mean to identify adrenal neoplasms there is still controversy of the concordance of the estimated radiological and histological size of the lesion. Since the size of adrenal tumours is a major criterion for surgical excision, we investigated whether recent and more sophisticated imaging techniques, can more accurately predict tumor’s size.Methods: We have retrospectively analyzed a series o...

Background: Intestinal metaplasia (IM) of the gastric mucosa is a relatively frequent precancerous lesion. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and the kind of IM and also to find parameters that could predict the presence of IM in gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms type 1 (GNEN1).Methods: Fifty-nine (45 females) patients with GNEN1 were retrospectively studied. All patients included in the study had positive parietal-cell antibodies. All pati...

Background and aims: Less than total thyroidectomy (lobectomy, partial or subtotal thyroidectomy) is used mainly to treat thyroid nodules, and/or hyperthyroidism. The aim of the study was to investigate the long term effects of less extensive surgical procedures. such as re-appearance of nodules and the need of thyroxin supplementation, or re-operation.Material and methods: Retrospective study in a tertiary Academic medical center. The study population c...

Introduction: Early detection of succinate dehydrogenase complex (SDH) mutations in patients with pheochromocytoma and paragaglioma (PPC/PGL) has important implications as it is associated with increased risk for malignancy. The use of negative immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for SDH subunit B, D, A (SDHB/-D/-A) has been proposed as an indicator of SDHs mutation and as an effective substitute for the high-cost genetic screening of all of these genes.M...

Introduction: CLOCK system is a highly conserved, ubiquitous molecular ‘clock’ which creates internal circadian rhythmicity under the influence of light/dark information. CLOCK system is regulated by the coordinated activation/inactivation of several transcription factors, including the CLOCK, the BMAL1 and other essential regulators, such as the Pers, Crys and RORs. The present study aimed to evaluate the circadian rhythm of clock-related genes expressed in patients...

Background: Gastrin is an early incretin candidate, since it is released by oral glucose and potentiates the glucose-induced insulin secretion. It has been shown that only in hypoglycaemic or hyperglycaemic conditions gastrin release is influenced by changes in blood glucose and insulin concentrations.Aim: To evaluate whether there is a relation between fasting serum glucose and serum gastrin concentrations.Methods: Gastrin and glu...

Introduction: Etomidate is an imidazole derivative which inhibits several enzymatic steps (11β-hydroxylasey, 17β-hydroxylase, 17,20-lyase, cholesterol side-chain cleavage). Intravenous etomidate at sub-anaesthetic doses remains an important option when i.v. administration is required for rapid treatment of severely ill patients with hypercortisolaemia (Cushing’s syndrome, CS) and is almost always very effective.Case series: A 49-year-old w...

Background: Although sunitinib, an oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor of RET, VEGFR, PDGFR, c-KIT used for cancer treatment, has a reported prevalence of hypocalcemia of 35%, this has not been documented in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (pNETs).Methods: We present three, out of 12, patients with pNETs treated with sunitinib who developed grade 1, 2 and 4 hypocalcemia according Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0 (CTCAE) crite...

Background: The expression and/or co-expression of somatostatin (sstr1–5) and dopamine (DR) receptors in neuroendocrine tumors (NETS) is of clinical interest as their expression implies that NETS could be treated with combined targeted therapy. In addition, the expression of sstrs permits tumour visualization with radiolabelled sst analogs (111In-DTPA-OctreoScan).Methods: We analyzed preoperative Octreoscans findings (also graded for the ...

Objective: The prevalence of metastatic bone disease in patients with neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) and their response to first line treatment with biphosphonates.Methods: We studied 271 patients (141 females) with NETs: 54 gastric, nine duodenal, 102 pancreatic, 29 small intestine, 29 appendix, 14 colon, 15 lung, one thymic, 20 unknown primary and ten elsewhere. Since September 2012 all patients with NETs and bone metastases were recruited to receive 4 ...