Somatostatin and dopamine receptors as targets for medical treatment of Cushing's Syndrome

New treatment guidelines on Cushing's disease

It is important to treat patients with Cushing's disease as rapidly as possible to limit its long-term mortality and morbidity. Selective transphenoidal pituitary adenomectomy remains the treatment of choice but, unfortunately, the rate of cure at long-term follow-up is suboptimal and recurrences are high, even in the hands of expert neurosurgeons. Treatment options for persistent or relapsed disease include repeat trasphenoidal pituitary surgery, radiotherapy or bilateral adrenalectomy. Medical treatment, a second-line treatment option, may have either a primary or adjunctive role if the patient cannot safely undergo surgery, if surgery fails, or if the tumor recurs. Cabergoline and pasireotide (SOM230), two pituitary tumor-directed drugs, are the most exciting news in the human pharmacological approach. However, the use of these drugs in clinical practice and their real impact in the management of patients is yet to be determined. The treatment of patients with Cushing's disease is complex and requires a multidisciplinary and individualized approach to patient management using cost-benefit analyses.