Pituitary surgery in elderly patients with acromegaly

Systemic comorbidities of acromegaly in real-life experience: which difference among young and elderly patients?

INTRODUCTION

Acromegaly is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease, if not promptly managed, for the systemic complications due to the GH/IGF-I hypersecretion. According to the increased population life span, the number of older acromegaly patients is growing. We aim to investigate clinical features of elderly acromegaly (elderly-ACRO) and to identify the risk factors for the occurrence of comorbidities in elderly-ACRO.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective and multi-center study was performed on acromegaly patients. Acromegaly comorbidities were compared among elderly-ACRO (>65 years), young acromegaly patients (young-ACRO if ≤65 years) and a control group of age and gender-matched subjects.

RESULT

Fifty of the 189 enrolled patients were elderly-ACRO (26.5%). Cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological/psychiatric and joint/articular disorders, nodular thyroid disease, sleep apnoea syndrome and skeletal fragility occurred more frequently in elderly-ACRO as compared to controls. Cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, nodular thyroid disease occurred significantly more frequently in elderly-ACRO as compared to young-ACRO and controls. On the other hand, neurological/psychiatric, joint/articular disorders and bone fragility occur with a similar frequency among elderly and young-ACRO. We found that elderly-ACRO had an increased risk for the occurrence of systemic arterial hypertension (p < 0.001, OR: 5.4 95%IC:2.6-10.9), left ventricular hypertrophy (p = 0.01, OR: 3 95%IC: 1.5-5.8) and metabolic disorders (p = 0.006, OR: 4.1 95%IC: 2-8.3).

CONCLUSION

Our results may suggest that some acromegaly comorbidities may be predominantly due to acromegaly "per-se" rather than to aging. On the contrary, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders seem to be due to aging as well.

Pituitary adenoma in the elderly: surgical outcomes and treatment trends in the United States

OBJECTIVE

Decision-making in how to manage pituitary adenomas (PAs) in the elderly (age ≥ 65 years) can be challenging given the benign nature of these tumors and concerns about surgical morbidity in these patients. In this study involving a large multicenter national registry, the authors examined treatment trends and surgical outcomes in elderly compared to nonelderly patients.

METHODS

The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was queried for adults aged ≥ 18 years with PA diagnosed by MRI (in observed cases) or pathology (in surgical cases) from 2004 to 2016. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to evaluate the prognostic impact of age and other covariates on 30- and 90-day postsurgical mortality (30M/90M), prolonged (≥ 5 days) length of inpatient hospital stay (LOS), and extent of resection.

RESULTS

A total of 96,399 cases met the study inclusion criteria, 27% of which were microadenomas and 73% of which were macroadenomas. Among these cases were 25,464 elderly patients with PA. Fifty-three percent of these elderly patients were treated with surgery, 1.9% underwent upfront radiotherapy, and 44.9% were observed without treatment. Factors associated with surgical treatment compared to observation included younger age, higher income, private insurance, higher Charlson-Deyo comorbidity (CD) score, larger tumor size, and receiving treatment at an academic hospital (each p ≤ 0.01). Elderly patients undergoing surgery had increased rates of 30M (1.4% vs 0.6%), 90M (2.8% vs 0.9%), prolonged LOS (26.1% vs 23.0%), and subtotal resection (27.2% vs 24.5%; each p ≤ 0.01) compared to those in nonelderly PA patients. On multivariate analysis, age, tumor size, and CD score were independently associated with worse postsurgical mortality. High-volume facilities (HVFs) had significantly better outcomes than low-volume facilities: 30M (0.9% vs 1.8%, p < 0.001), 90M (2.0% vs 3.5%, p < 0.001), and prolonged LOS (21.8% vs 30.3%, p < 0.001). A systematic literature review composed of 22 studies demonstrated an elderly PA patient mortality rate of 0.7%, which is dramatically lower than real-world NCDB outcomes and speaks to substantial selection bias in the previously published literature.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings confirm that elderly patients with PA are at higher risk for postoperative mortality than younger patients. Surgical risk in this age group may have been previously underreported in the literature. Resection at HVFs better reflects these historical rates, which has important implications in elderly patients for whom surgery is being considered.

Factors associated with therapeutic response in acromegaly diagnosed in the elderly in Spain

CONTEXT

Some reports suggest that acromegaly in elderly patients has a more benign clinical behavior and could have a better response to first-generation long-acting somatostatin receptor ligands (SRL). However, there is no specific therapeutic protocol for this special subgroup of patients.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed at identifying predictors of response to SRL in elderly patients.

DESIGN

Multicentric retrospective nationwide study of patients diagnosed with acromegaly at or over the age of 65 years.

RESULTS

One-hundred and eighteen patients (34 men, 84 women, mean age at diagnosis 71.7 ± 5.4 years old) were included. Basal insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF-1) above the upper limit of normal (ULN) and growth hormone (GH) levels (mean ± SD) were 2.7 ± 1.4 and 11.0 ± 11.9 ng/ml, respectively. The mean maximal tumor diameter was 12.3 ± 6.4 mm, and up to 68.6% were macroadenoma. Seventy-two out of 118 patients (61.0%) underwent surgery as primary treatment. One-third of patients required first-line medical treatment due to a rejection of surgical treatment or non-suitability because of high surgical risk. After first-line surgery, 45/72 (63.9%) were in disease remission, and 16/34 (46.7%) of those treated with SRL had controlled disease. Patients with basal GH at diagnosis ≤6 ng/ml had lower IGF-1 levels and had smaller tumors, and more patients in this group reached control with SRL (72.7% vs. 33.3%; p < 0.04) [OR: 21.3, IC: 95% (2.4-91.1)], while male patients had a worse response [OR: 0.09, IC 95% (0.01-0.75)]. The predictive model curve obtained for SRL response showed an AUC of 0.82 CI (0.71-0.94).

CONCLUSIONS

The most frequent phenotype in newly diagnosed acromegaly in the elderly includes small adenomas and moderately high IGF-1 levels. GH at diagnosis ≤6 ng/ml and female gender, but not age per se, were associated with a greater chance of response to SRL.

Clinical presentation and management of acromegaly in elderly patients

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Acromegaly is a rare disease with a peak of incidence in early adulthood. However, enhanced awareness of this disease, combined with wide availability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has increased the diagnosis of forms with mild presentation, especially in elderly patients. Moreover, due to increased life expectancy and proactive individualized treatment, patients with early-onset acromegaly are today aging. The aim of our study was to describe our cohort of elderly patients with acromegaly.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a cross-sectional retrospective study of 96 outpatients. Clinical, endocrine, treatment, and follow-up data were collected using the electronic database of the University Hospital of Padova, Italy.

RESULTS

We diagnosed acromegaly in 13 patients, aged ≥65 years, presenting with relatively small adenomas and low IGF-1 secretion. Among them, 11 patients were initially treated with medical therapy and half normalized hormonal levels after 6 months without undergoing neurosurgery (TNS). Remission was achieved after TNS in three out of four patients (primary TNS in two); ten patients presented controlled acromegaly at the last visit. Acromegaly-related comorbidities (colon polyps, thyroid cancer, adrenal incidentaloma, hypertension, and bone disease) were more prevalent in patients who had an early diagnosis (31 patients, characterized by a longer follow-up of 24 years) than in those diagnosed aged ≥65 years (5 years of follow-up).

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly acromegalic patients are not uncommon. Primary medical therapy is a reasonable option and is effectively used, while the rate of surgical success is not reduced. A careful cost-benefit balance is suggested. Disease-specific comorbidities are more prevalent in acromegalic patients with a longer follow-up rather than in those diagnosed aged ≥65 years.

Surgical management of pituitary adenomas: does age matter?

PURPOSE

Along with increased life expectancy and improvements in the diagnostic tools and techniques, the number of elderly patients with symptomatic pituitary tumors being evaluated for surgery is increasing. To date, contrasting results of the safety and effectiveness of transsphenoidal surgery in patients over 65 years old were published in the medical literature. An investigation concerning the extension of resection, post operative complications and, recovery rate from endocrinological and visual symptoms in elderly patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma was conducted.

METHODS

A retrospective review, which included a series of 81 patients 65 years old or older who underwent endoscopic endonasal surgery for pituitary adenomas was analyzed. Pre operative and post operative data were collected and patients were then compared among four age groups: 65-69 years old, 70-74 years old, 75-79 years old and 80 years and over. The results were then compared with the findings from the medical literature review.

RESULTS

The statistical analysis failed to highlight any difference in terms of clinical presentation or complications among the four age groups, however there seems to be a slightly higher risk of post operative hypopituitarism in patients over 74 years old.

CONCLUSION

The results of the study seem to confirm that transsphenoidal surgery for PA is safe and effective among patients that are 65 and over. Moreover, a partial resection is preferred over a gross total one in order to reduce the surgical risk.

Acromegaly in the elderly patients

BACKGROUND

Acromegaly is a rare disease characterized by a chronic exposition to growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), caused in most cases by a pituitary GH-secreting adenoma. Chronic GH excess induces systemic complications (metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, neoplastic, and musculoskeletal) and increased mortality if not appropriately treated. Recent epidemiological data report an improved life span of patients with acromegaly probably due to better acromegaly management; additionally, the number of pituitary incidentaloma in general population also increased over time due to more frequent imaging. Therefore, the number of elderly patients, newly diagnosed with acromegaly or in follow-up, is expected to grow in the coming years and clinicians will need to be aware of particularities in managing these patients.

PURPOSE

This review aims to explore different aspects of acromegaly of the elderly patients, focusing on epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical presentation, complications, and management options.

METHODS

Available literature has been assessed through PubMed (data until August 2019) by specific keywords.

CONCLUSIONS

Available data on acromegaly in the elderly patient are sparse, but point to important differences. Further studies are needed comparing elderly with younger patients with acromegaly to better define a tailored diagnostic and therapeutic management.

Acromegaly in the elderly patient

Acromegaly is an insidious disease, usually resulting from growth hormone hypersecretion by a pituitary adenoma. It is most often diagnosed during the 3rd to 4th decade of life. However, recent studies have shown an increase in the incidence and prevalence of acromegaly in the elderly, probably due to increasing life expectancy. As in the younger population with acromegaly, there is a delay in diagnosis, aggravated by the similarities of the aging process with some of the characteristics of the disease. As can be expected elderly patients with acromegaly have a higher prevalence of comorbidities than younger ones. The diagnostic criteria are the same as for younger patients. Surgical treatment of the pituitary adenoma is the primary therapy of choice unless contraindicated. Somatostatin receptor ligands are generally effective as both primary and postoperative treatment. The prognosis correlates inversely with the patient's age, disease duration and last GH level. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2019;63(6):638-45.

Pituitary adenomas in elderly patients: clinical and surgical outcome analysis in a large series

PURPOSE

The increased life expectancy in the general population is causing rapid growth of the number of elderly patients. Pituitary adenomas (PAs) are one of those tumors whose incidence increases with age. Pituitary surgery in elderly has usually been considered riskier than in the younger population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcome of a large series of patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery for PAs.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed a series of patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery for PAs in our institution. Inclusion criteria were: 65 years of age or more, and no previous pituitary surgery. Surgical outcomes of patients aged <70 years (group 1) was compared to those aged 70 years or more (group 2) at the time of surgery.

RESULTS

A total of 336 patients met the inclusion criteria. Clinically, 230 (68.5%) patients had a non-functioning PAs. Among the remaining 106 patients with a hormone-secreting PA, 57 (53.8%) had acromegaly, 39 (36.8%) Cushing's disease, 5 patients (4.7%) had a prolactinoma, and 5 a thyrotropin-secreting PA (4.7%). Mortality rate was 1.5%. Groups 1 and 2 showed no significantly different surgery-related complication, visual recovery, radical surgery, and remission rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical management of PAs in the elderly has been considered riskier than in the younger population. Our results demonstrated that transsphenoidal surgery is a safe and effective treatment for PAs. No statistically significant differences in terms of outcome were found in two group ages, showing that, when clinically indicated, transsphenoidal surgery can be performed even in very old subjects.

Transsphenoidal Surgery for Elderly Patients with Acromegaly and Its Outcomes: Comparison with Younger Patients

BACKGROUND

Elderly patients with acromegaly who have comorbidities may increasingly encounter perioperative complications; however, little data are available on the risks and outcomes of surgical treatment in these patients. We aimed to analyze and compare the results of transnasal transsphenoidal surgery (TTS) in elderly and younger patients.

METHODS

Eighty-seven consecutive patients with acromegaly who underwent TTS were included. We divided the patients into elderly (≥65 years) and younger (<65 years) groups and compared clinical characteristics, anesthesia risk, and surgical outcomes in these 2 groups.

RESULTS

The 87 patients included 24 (27.6%) in the elderly group and 63 (73.4%) in the younger group. Preoperative endocrinologic and radiologic assessments showed no significant differences between the 2 groups. Although a grade 3 American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification was more common in the elderly group (75% vs. 3%; P = 0.00001) owing to the severity of associated diseases, no significant between-group difference in perioperative complications was seen (17% vs. 6%; P = 0.142). Sixteen elderly patients and 45 younger patients achieved endocrinologic remission following surgery (67% vs. 71%; P = 0.426). The incidence rate of postoperative new pituitary deficit was similar in the elderly and younger groups (4% vs. 3%; P = 0.625). Approximately one-third of the elderly patients with diagnosed hypertension or diabetes mellitus tapered their medication after successful tumor removal.

CONCLUSIONS

TTS can be considered a safe treatment for both younger and elderly patients with acromegaly. Successful tumor removal provided a significant improvement in comorbidities even in elderly patients with acromegaly.

Endonasal endoscopic pituitary surgery in the elderly

OBJECTIVE Pituitary adenomas are benign, slow-growing tumors that cause symptoms either through mass effect or hormone overproduction. The decision to operate on a healthy young person is relatively straightforward. In the elderly population, however, the risks of complications may increase, rendering the decision more complex. Few studies have documented the risks of surgery using the endonasal endoscopic approach in a large number of elderly patients. The purpose of this study was to audit a single center's data regarding outcomes of purely endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal resection of pituitary adenomas in elderly patients and to compare them to the current literature. METHODS A retrospective review of a prospectively acquired database of all endonasal endoscopic surgeries done by the senior authors was queried for patients aged 60-69 years and for those aged 70 years or older. Demographic and radiographic preoperative data were reviewed. Outcomes with respect to extent of resection and complications were examined and compared with appropriate statistical tests. RESULTS A total of 135 patents were identified (81 aged 60-69 years and 54 aged 70 years or older [70+]). The average tumor diameter was slightly larger for the patients in the 70+ age group (mean [SD] 25.7 ± 9.2 mm) than for patients aged 60-69 years (23.1 ± 9.8 mm, p = 0.056). There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss (p > 0.99), length of stay (p = 0.22), or duration of follow-up (p = 0.21) between the 2 groups. There was a 7.4% complication rate in patients aged 60-69 years (3 nasal and 3 medical complications) and an 18.5% complication rate in patients older than 70 years (4 cranial, 3 nasal, 1 visual, and 2 medical complications; p = 0.05 overall and 0.013 for cranial complications). Cranial complications in the 70+ age category included 2 postoperative hematomas, 1 pseudoaneurysm formation, and 1 case of symptomatic subdural hygromas. CONCLUSIONS Endonasal endoscopic surgery in elderly patients is safe, but there is a graded increase in complication rates with increasing age. The decision to operate on an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patient in these age groups should take this increasing complication rate into account. The use of a lumbar drain or lumbar punctures should be weighed against the risk of subdural hematoma in patients with preexisting atrophy.

Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery in elderly patients with pituitary adenomas

OBJECT

With the increase in the average life expectancy, medical care of elderly patients with symptomatic pituitary adenoma (PA) will continue to grow. Little information exists in the literature about the surgical treatment of these patients. The aim of this study was to present the results of a single pituitary center in the surgical treatment of PAs in patients > 70 years of age.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, 55 consecutive elderly patients (age ≥ 70 years) with nonfunctioning PAs underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery at the General Hospital of Fortaleza, Brazil, between May 2000 and December 2012. The clinical and radiological results in this group were compared with 2 groups of younger patients: < 60 years (n = 289) and 60-69 years old (n = 30).

RESULTS

Fifty-five patients ≥ 70 years of age (average age 72.5 years, range 70-84 years) underwent endoscopic surgery for treatment of PAs. The mean follow-up period was 50 months (range 12-144 months). The most common symptoms were visual impairment in 38 (69%) patients, headache in 16 (29%) patients, and complete ophthalmoplegia in 6 (10.9%). Elderly patients presented a higher incidence of ophthalmoplegia (p = 0.032) and a lower frequency of pituitary apoplexy before surgery (p < 0.05). Tumors with cavernous sinus invasion were treated surgically less frequently than in younger patients. Although patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 3 were more common in the elderly group (p < 0.05), no significant difference regarding surgical time, extent of resection, and hospitalization were observed. Elderly patients presented with more complications than patients < 60 years (32.7% vs 10%, p < 0.05). Complications observed in the elderly group included 5 CSF leaks (9%), 2 permanent diabetes insipidus cases (3.6%), 4 postoperative refractory hypertension cases (7.2%), 1 myocardial ischemia (1.8%), and 1 death (1.8%). Postoperative new anterior pituitary deficit was more common in the younger group (< 60 years old: 17.7%) than in the elderly (≥ 70 years old: 12.7%); however, there was no statistical difference.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for elderly patients with PAs may be associated with higher complication rates, especially secondary to early transitory complications, when compared with surgery performed in younger patients. Although the worst preoperative clinical status might be observed in this group, age alone is not associated with a worst final prognosis after endoscopic removal of nonfunctioning PAs.

Treatment of elderly acromegalics

We assessed the incidence of elderly patients in Japanese acromegalics and the characteristics of their clinical presentation. We also evaluated the safety and efficacy of transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) in this patient group. During the 28-year period from 1980 to 2007 we treated 290 patients with acromegaly at our hospitals. Of these, 9 (3.1%) were elderly, i.e. 70 years old or older. They comprised 0.7% of acromegalics treated during the first- and 4.5% of patients with acromegaly treated during the 2nd 14-year period. Before treatment, all manifested abnormal glucose tolerance; 6 had diabetes mellitus (DM), 6 presented with hypertension, and 2 had cardiovascular disease, malignant neoplasms, or hyperlipidemia. Of the 7 elderly acromegalics who underwent TSS none manifested surgical morbidity or new pituitary hormone deficiencies. Postoperatively, the nadir growth hormone (GH) level at the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was under 1.0 ng/mL in 5 patients, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) levels normalized in 4. Glucose tolerance improved in all operated patients. Only 1 of 6 patients with preoperatively diagnosed DM continued to manifest DM post-treatment, anti-hypertensive drugs could be tapered in 3 of patients with preoperative hypertension. In conclusion, we found that there was a high incidence of abnormal glucose tolerance and hypertension in elderly acromegalics, that surgical treatment was effective and safe in this population, and that it was useful for the control of co-morbidities.

A retrospective analysis on biochemical parameters, cardiovascular risk and cardiomyopathy in elderly acromegalic patients

This analytical, observational, retrospective, case-control study was designed to describe clinical presentation, biochemical disease severity, presence, and severity of metabolic and cardiovascular complications in patients diagnosed as having acromegaly at 60 yr or older (no.=57) as compared to sex- and age-matched healthy controls. Patients and controls underwent a complete endocrine, metabolic, and cardiovascular check-up. The age at diagnosis was equally distributed between 60 to 75 yr while only a minority of the patients (5.3%) was diagnosed after 75 yr. Median GH and IGF-I levels were 15 microg/l and 557 microg/l. The prevalence of microadenomas, enclosed macroadenomas, and extrasellar/invasive macroadenomas was 30%, 49%, and 21%, respectively. All patients had joint complaints and goiter (euthyroid in 65% and pre-toxic/toxic in 35%), 82% had hypertension, 58% diabetes and 54% had both. As compared to controls, a higher number of patients were receiving treatment with anti-arrhythmiacs (p=0.033), anti-aggregants (p=0.013), levothyroxine (p=0.015), and metformin (p=0.022). Nevertheless, the patients had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, left ventricular mass index, lipids, glucose and insulin levels as well as percent function of beta cells than controls. In conclusion, the high prevalence of systemic complications makes elderly acromegalics more susceptible than controls to cardiovascular events. We suggest that an accurate clinical check-up and, possibly, a more aggressive treatment of hypertension and diabetes are required in elderly acromegalics.

[Pituitary gland tumors]

Pituitary adenomas must be clearly differentiated from other tumors of the sellar region (especially meningiomas, granular cell tumors, chordomas and germinomas), which may look very similar. The sub-classification of adenomas depends on the methods used, in particular the immunostaining for pituitary hormones. This sub-classification is not necessary in every case, but must be performed if unusual findings are observed during surgery or if surgery is unsuccessful and radiation or drug-therapy is planned. Special structures and non-immunohistochemical stainings are very helpful for typing adenomas. We differentiated monohormonal densely or sparsely granulated GH-cell adenomas, monohormonal sparsely or very rarely densely granulated prolactin cell adenomas, monohormonal densely or sparsely ACTH-cell adenomas, monohormonal TSH-cell adenomas and FSH/LH cell adenomas from bihormonal adenomas of mammosomatotroph or GH/prolactin cell type or of the acidophil stem cell adenoma type. The number of plurihormonal adenomas decreased with the use of improved monoclonal antibodies. Clinically inactive adenomas are classified as null cell adenomas, oncocytic adenomas or FSH/LH-cell adenomas. These appear as subtypes of one entity deriving from the gonadotroph cell type. Craniopharyngiomas are classified into adamantinous and papillary types, which are not only structurally but also clinically different. If adamantinous craniopharyngiomas show very strongly regressive changes, immunostaining for keratin may be necessary to identify the squamous epithelia for the demonstration of craniopharyngioma.

New devices for direct transnasal surgery on pituitary adenomas

A micro-pressure-suction-irrigation system (MPSIS) is a surgical device that cleans the operative field of blood and tumor tissues with one-hand manipulation, dissects tumor tissue with its rapid flow, and removes debris by suction without injury to the normal tissue structures. Since 1997, good transnasal surgical results for pituitary adenomas have been achieved in Japan using this system. However, the surgical results for large, fibrous pituitary adenomas were unfavorable. Ultrasonic surgical aspirators with needle-type probes and an electromagnetic field system, all recently developed in Japan, are improving the results of direct transnasal surgery on pituitary adenomas. The MPSIS effectively dissects typical adenoma tissue with rapid irrigation and removes it by suction. A tumor in the cavernous sinus was removed by this system under direct vision in combination with pituitary mirrors. Fibrous adenomas were resected using ultrasonic surgical aspirators with needle-type probes. Thick mucosa and a firm tumor were vaporized with an electromagnetic field system. The sellar floor was reconstructed with combined ceramics, used in cases requiring additional surgery or drainage of cerebrospinal fluid leakage during surgery. Direct transnasal surgery with these devices was performed to remove 143 pituitary adenomas. Most of these pituitary adenomas could be selectively removed except for those lesions with extensive cavernous sinus invasion. There was no surgical morbidity or mortality. With the advancement of surgical technique and the development of surgical devices, most pituitary adenomas, even those that are fibrous or firm, can be removed via the transnasal route.

Preoperative lanreotide treatment for GH-secreting pituitary adenomas: effect on tumour volume and predictive factors of significant tumour shrinkage

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this open study of 104 patients was to determine whether the somatostatin analogue lanreotide shrinks GH-secreting adenomas and to identify the predictive factors of a significant tumour volume reduction (> 20%).

PATIENTS

A total of 104 previously untreated and newly diagnosed acromegalic patients received the prolonged release (PR) formulation of lanreotide (lanreotide 30 mg, one intramuscular injection every 10 days) for either 1 (n = 84), 2 (n = 13), or 3 or more (n = 7) months before transsphenoidal surgery.

MEASUREMENTS

Pituitary tumour volumes, tumour extension grade and possible cavernous sinus invasion were assessed in blinded conditions by a centralized team of radiologists. Factors such as demographics, tumour characteristics, GH and IGF-I levels were evaluated as possible predictive factors of a significant tumour volume reduction. The clinical activity and random GH, IGF-I, IGFBP-3, PRL, TSH, free T4 and lanreotide levels serum concentrations were measured under basal conditions and in the 10 days before surgery. All analyses were done in a centralized laboratory. The tolerability of preoperative PR lanreotide and the surgical outcome at the 6th month after surgery were assessed.

RESULTS

The presurgical treatment improved the symptoms of acromegaly and induced a statistically significant reduction of GH, IGF-I and IGFBP-3. Despite the short duration of the preoperative lanreotide 30 mg treatment, IGF-I levels were normalized in 25% of patients. A statistically significant reduction in tumour volume (P < 0.001) was observed. The median value of the differences was -152 mm3. A reduction in tumour volume was observed in 66% of patients and was > 20% in 29% of all patients included. Both the univariate analyses and the logistic regression model demonstrated that a positive hormone response to preoperative lanreotide 30 mg was the sole predictive factor of a significant tumour shrinkage (odds ratio of 7.8, 95% confidence interval 1.6-37.1). Preoperative PR lanreotide did not modify the expected soft consistence of the tumour. The main adverse events consisted of minor gastrointestinal problems. Univariate analyses revealed that younger age, higher GH and IGF-I levels at diagnosis, higher preoperative tumour volume, more than one tumour extrasellar extension and the presence of cavernous sinus invasion were statistically significant determinants of persistent disease at the 6th month after surgery. The multivariate analysis revealed that higher IGF-I levels at diagnosis and the preoperative cavernous sinus invasion were each statistically significant prognostic factors of persistent disease.

CONCLUSIONS

A short administration of preoperative lanreotide 30 mg induced a statistically significant shrinkage of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas where this reduction was > 20% of the pretreatment value in 29% of the whole population. Among the factors considered was the fact that positive hormone response to preoperative lanreotide 30 mg was the sole predictive factor of this significant tumour volume reduction.

Surgical treatment of pituitary tumors in the elderly: clinical outcome and long-term follow-up

Pituitary adenomas in the elderly represent an increasing proportion of pituitary tumors, making the surgical management of these patients of special importance. We therefore decided to review our experience with transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) in this age group, in order to better evaluate its efficacy, safety and outcome. A retrospective study was performed on 39 patients aged more than 70 years at the time of surgery (mean age 74.1 +/- 2.9 years) and with a minimum follow-up duration of 4 years at the time of the study. Thirty-one had a nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma, 5 had a GH-secreting adenoma and 3 a macroprolactinoma, respectively. The commonest presenting symptom was visual deterioration (60%), whereas hypopituitarism were present in 41% of patients. All patients underwent TSS without any major peri- and post-operative complications. Visual fields improved in 74% of patients. Post-operative radiotherapy was performed in 17 patients with partial surgical resection and/or persistent hormonal hypersecretion, whereas 22 patients with subtotal or total surgical resection were treated by surgery only. Long-term follow-up (mean 9.1 +/- 2.7 years) showed evidence for tumor regrowth in one irradiated (5.9%) and 3 non-irradiated patients (13.6%), respectively. A noticeable complication of radiotherapy was progressive hypopituitarism, which worsened or developed in 65% of patients. We conclude that TSS is safe and well tolerated even in elderly patients, with a low incidence of minor complications. The indications for post-operative radiotherapy in patients with incomplete tumor resection should be better defined.

Transnasal surgery for prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomas in childhood and adolescence

BACKGROUND

Prolactin (PRL)-secreting pituitary adenomas (prolactinomas) are rare in childhood and adolescence; there are only a few published series of patients who were surgically treated. We discuss the gender-dependent differences, and the surgical indications and results for 14 patients with prolactinomas under 18 years of age at surgery.

METHODS

We reviewed the data for 14 patients (10 girls and 4 boys) treated surgically for prolactinomas between 1980 and 1996. Surgery was chosen because of intolerance and/or resistance to dopamine agonist (DA) in 9 patients, the patient's decision in 3, rhinorrhea in 1, and pituitary apoplexy in 1 during DA therapy. All patients underwent direct transnasal explorations. Since 1988, intraoperative PRL measurements were performed. The follow-up period was at least 6 years.

RESULTS

Nine of the 10 girls had primary or secondary amenorrhea, and 3 of the 4 boys had visual field defects. The boys and girls were the same age at the onset of symptoms and had the same preoperative duration of symptoms. Boys had larger, more invasive tumors and higher preoperative and postoperative plasma PRL levels than girls. Two boys demonstrated significant extrasellar extension at the time of diagnosis. Two patients required drilling of the incompletely pneumatized sphenoid sinus to reach the sella. Radical tumor resection was achieved in seven girls and in none of the four boys. In 12 of the 14 patients, normal pituitary function was preserved by transnasal surgery. There was no severe surgical morbidity or mortality. Endocrinological remission by surgery alone was achieved for seven girls, and was achieved in 4 of the 5 patients (80%) with microadenomas. In patients with preoperative mean PRL levels of less than 200 microg/L, the surgical cure rate was 75%.

CONCLUSIONS

Prolactinomas in childhood and adolescence differ in their biology in boys and girls. Transnasal surgery is as safe in childhood patients as it is in adult patients, and it may be an effective alternative to long-term medical therapy for selected patients with prolactinomas. Successful surgical outcomes were achieved in patients with microadenomas and preoperative serum PRL levels of less than 200 microg/L.

Pituitary tumors in the elderly

The present study was designed to investigate the incidence and immunohistochemical characteristics of pituitary tumors in the elderly. In our surgical collection of 1925 cases, we examined tumor tissue from 15 patients over 80 years of age. Pituitaries obtained at routine autopsies from 692 subjects over 80 years of age were also investigated. Of the 15 surgical cases studied, the majority of patients presented with chiasmatic syndromes, likely caused by macroadenomas. Gonadotroph adenomas were the most frequently diagnosed tumor type, followed by null-cell adenomas and oncocytomas. There is only one case with GH cell adenoma. Among 692 autopsy cases, 79 (11.4%) pituitaries were found to contain adenomas in the anterior lobe. In one pituitary, two separate adenomas were detected, hence the number of adenomas in our material was 80. All autopsy cases were microadenomas except one. The mean diameter of adenomas was 2.2 mm. ACTH cell adenomas were the most frequently diagnosed tumor type, followed by PRL cell adenomas and null cell adenomas. The occurrence of pituitary adenomas discovered after routine autopsy in the elderly was common, although these tumors were not found frequently in surgical cases over 80 years of age. Our immunohistochemical study revealed that many tumors contained one or more than one anterior pituitary hormone, although almost all pituitary adenomas were considered to be clinically inactive in surgical and autopsy cases.

Anterior pituitary adenomas in patients aged more than 65 years: analysis of growth fraction (using the MIB-1 monoclonal antibody) and of clinical features in comparison to younger patients

AIMS AND BACKGROUND

The incidence of pituitary adenomas (PA). in patients aged more than 65 years is relatively low. The goal of this study was to evaluate the growth fraction and the clinical features of PA affecting old patients and to compare the results to those of younger subjects.

METHODS

We evaluated the Ki-67 LI using the monoclonal antibody MIB-1 in 21 patients of more than 65 years of age affected by PA consecutively operated on and compared the mean LI with that one of 104 patients under 65 operated on in the same period. The clinical behavior of PA was also analyzed in both groups.

RESULTS

In older cases PA occurred more frequently with visual disturbances: 17 out of 21 (80.9%) older patients showed pre-operative visual disturbances, versus 43 out of 104 (41.3%) younger patients (P=0.0009). Fifteen out of 21 (71.4%) older patients had a non-functioning PA, versus 38 out of 66 (36.5%) younger patients (P=0.003). In relation to surgically verified infiltration of sellar floor dura and bone, we identified non-invasive (12/21 older cases) and invasive (9 cases) adenomas; the wall of the cavernous sinus was infiltrated in 5 cases. The overall mean Ki-67 LI was 4.06+/-6.73 versus 2.35+/-2.54% of younger patients (P=0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data confirm that Ki-67 LI detected by the MIB-1 monoclonal antibody is a useful marker in the determination of the growth fraction of PA. In relation to our preliminary results, PA in the elderly seem to have a higher growth fraction than in younger patients, are more often non-functioning and occur frequently with visual disturbances. In order to confirm our data further larger studies are necessary.

Surgical treatment of clinically nonsecreting pituitary adenomas in elderly patients

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transsphenoidal pituitary surgery for elderly patients, using improved techniques of the past decade.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 32 surgically treated cases of clinically nonsecreting pituitary adenomas in patients more than 70 years of age (mean, 73.9+/-3.4 yr). These patients were identified in a review of 982 patients with pituitary adenomas who were treated at University Hospital Eppendorf, Hamburg, between January 1991 and November 1999.

RESULTS

The mean preoperative duration of symptoms was 1.9 years (2 wk to 11 yr). The chiasmatic syndrome was present for 27 patients (84.4%). All patients underwent transsphenoidal surgery. Seven patients underwent reoperations. Preoperative assessments of anterior pituitary function revealed growth hormone deficiencies for 21 of 27 patients (77.8%), thyroid insufficiencies for 10 of 30 patients (33.3%), and adrenal insufficiencies for 13 of 29 patients (44.8%). Hypogonadism and hyperprolactinemia were observed for 76.7% and 46.9% of the patients, respectively. All tumors were macroadenomas, ranging from 18 to 50 mm (average, 33.6 mm) in size, including 7 enclosed and 25 invasive adenomas. Complete microscopic tumor resection was achieved in 24 cases, and subtotal removal was performed in 8 cases. There were no severe perioperative complications. In the cases involving hyperprolactinemia, serum prolactin levels were normalized for 8 of 11 patients (72.7%). Normal thyroid function was recovered for 1 of 10 patients (10.0%) with preoperative hypothyroidism. However, growth hormone or adrenal insufficiencies persisted for all patients with preoperative insufficiencies. Visual disturbances were improved for 19 of 23 patients (82.6%). All patients recovered well after surgery, with an average hospital stay of 16.3 days. Histological and immunohistochemical studies demonstrated gonadotroph adenomas in 56.7% of cases, null-cell adenomas in 26.7%, and oncocytomas in 13.3%.

CONCLUSION

Surgical treatment of nonsecreting pituitary adenomas causing visual disturbances is standard, even for elderly patients. In this series, transsphenoidal surgery was a safe procedure, with minimal morbidity and excellent tolerance. Age alone is not a contraindication for active treatment, particularly with transsphenoidal surgery.

Pharmacotherapy or surgery as primary treatment for acromegaly?

In recent years important progress has been made in the management of acromegaly due to the availability of effective and well tolerated drugs and to improved surgical techniques, resulting in a broader choice of therapeutic interventions. Although surgery in the hands of an experienced surgeon still represents the primary option for the majority of patients, the new formulations of somatostatin analogues and dopamine agonists have partially modified the primary therapeutic approach to this severe and disabling chronic disease. Therapy with somatostatin analogues has been shown to reduce morbidity and the mortality rate in patients with acromegaly, and currently in some patients this medical approach may be preferable to surgery. Although in selected patients individualised pharmacotherapy might represent the primary therapy, trans-sphenoidal surgery of microadenomas and noninvasive macroadenomas remains the primary option, since the remission rate is very high and the costs are relatively low in comparison with lifelong therapy with somatostatin analogues. However, the treatment schedule in acromegaly should consider criteria additional to tumour size and invasiveness, such as the age and the general clinical condition of the patient. Presurgical treatment with somatostatin analogues has been reported to reduce surgical complications and time of hospitalisation after the operation. Moreover, a multidisciplinary team of well trained specialists is needed in order to guarantee the most optimal quality of life and life expectancy for patients with acromegaly.

Growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas in childhood and adolescence: features and results of transnasal surgery

OBJECTIVE

Pituitary tumors causing gigantism are rare in childhood and adolescence. In a review of 2367 patients with pituitary adenomas who were treated between 1970 and 1997, we found 15 cases (0.63%, 9 male and 6 female patients) of growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas in patients who were less than 20 years of age at the time of surgery, and we compared their characteristics with those of adenomas in an adult group.

METHODS

Patients were grouped according to their ages at the first operation, with five patients (33.3%) in the prepubescent group (0-11 yr), eight (53.3%) in the pubescent group (12-17 yr), and two (13.3%) in the postpubescent group (18-19 yr). All 15 patients exhibited the typical symptoms of growth hormone oversecretion. The incidence of hyperprolactinemia among patients with prepubescent onset was 66.7%. Radiological examinations demonstrated microadenomas in 4 patients (26.7%) and macroadenomas in 11 patients (73.3%). The mean follow-up period was 73.5 months.

RESULTS

Direct transnasal explorations were performed for all patients. Tumor invasion into the cavernous sinus was observed in six patients (40%). Radical tumor resection was performed for four patients (80%) in the prepubescent group, for five patients (62.5%) in the pubescent group, and for neither patient in the postpubescent group. Surgical morbidity was caused by permanent diabetes insipidus in three patients (20%). Rapid growth was postoperatively improved in 80% of the prepubescent age group. The recurrence rate was 13.3% (2 of 15 patients).

CONCLUSION

Transnasal pituitary surgery was found to be as safe in pediatric patients with gigantism as in adults. Growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas in childhood and adolescence were more likely to be invasive or aggressive than were those in adulthood. The clinical biological characteristics for children were different from those for adults.

Epidemiology of acromegaly

Acromegaly is a consequence of chronic growth hormone (GH) excess, due in the majority of cases to a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma, and occurring with a population prevalence of 60 per million and an incidence of 3-4 per million per year. Males and females appear to be equally affected with an average age of presentation of 44 years. Younger patients may have more aggressive tumours and higher GH concentrations. There is co-existent hyperprolactinaemia in about one third of cases, and a variable proportion of [figure: see text] tumours appear to have activating mutations of the gsp gene or other genetic abnormalities. Acute complications such as carpal tunnel syndrome, sweating and obstructive sleep apnoea are usually readily reversible with treatment of the condition, but chronic complications such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease are less readily corrected and post-treatment GH levels of < 2.5 ug/L (5 mU/L) are needed to achieve the prevalence found in the general community. Such 'curative' levels of GH are achieved in only about 50% of patients with current therapies, and as a result there is an ongoing excess of patients with chronic complications of acromegaly leading to increased morbidity and mortality from the disorder, with observed-to-expected mortality ratios ranging from 1.6-3.3 and only approaching unity in those with growth hormone levels < 2.5 ug/L following treatment. Prognostic factors include in some studies the presence of diabetes and [table: see text] hypertension prior to diagnosis as well as measures of exposure to excessive growth hormone derived from the product of preoperative serum GH and the time from first symptoms to treatment. Overall, however, the most important prognostic variable appears to be the serum GH concentration achieved by treatment, with an increasing consensus that this needs to be < 2.5 ug/L (5 mU/L) to achieve cure of the condition.

The surgical treatment of pituitary adenomas in the eighth decade

BACKGROUND

The surgical treatment of pituitary adenomas in elderly patients (i.e., over 70 years of age) is a special problem because of the increased rate of perioperative complications and the reduced tolerance of postoperative fluid and electrolyte imbalance. Therefore, the unquestionable progress in the pharmacological and radiotherapy may not allow these patients the option of radical surgical treatment. We report our experience with the transsphenoidal procedure for pituitary adenomas in aged patients in an attempt to contribute to a better definition of the actual role of surgery.

METHODS

Transsphenoidal surgery was performed in 11 patients over 70 years of age affected by various histological types of pituitary micro- and macroadenomas, ranging from Hardy Grade I through IIIc. Special care was dedicated to the postoperative treatment, in particular to water and electrolyte balances, and to the immediate treatment of any pathological variation of these parameters.

RESULTS

We had no mortality and no postoperative adjunctive morbidity. All the patients recovered well from the operation with an average hospital stay of 20 days. The tumor removal was complete in six cases and partial in the remaining five. With an average follow-up of 2 years, we did observe only one case of symptomatic recurrence of the disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Transsphenoidal surgery in the elderly is feasible and quite safe in the hands of an experienced team, if special care is devoted to the preoperative selection of patients and to the postoperative treatment of fluid and electrolyte imbalance.

Recent primary transnasal surgical outcomes associated with intraoperative growth hormone measurement in acromegaly

OBJECTIVE

Since 1983, we have measured GH intraoperatively to improve the surgical outcome for acromegalic patients with GH secreting pituitary adenomas. Here, we present the recent results of primary surgery in patients with acromegaly to examine the effect of improved surgical techniques and experience. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENT: Intraoperative GH concentrations were measured in 78 consecutive acromegalic patients who had not previously undergone surgery between May 1992 and April 1994 (45 females and 33 males, age range, 21-70 years, mean, 47.1 +/- 1.3). All patients were followed for at least 3 years. Direct transnasal tumour extirpation was performed. Intraoperative GH measurements were assayed 0, 20 and 60 min after tumour removal. A plasma GH level < or = 4.5 micrograms/l at 60 min after initial tumour removal was used as a criterion of radical tumour removal. In cases with intraoperative plasma GH concentrations > or = 40 micrograms/l prior to tumour resection, the half-life of the GH concentration at 20 min was used to assess completeness of tumour removal. In these cases, it was defined as having achieved a 50% reduction in plasma GH at 20 min compared to 0 min after tumour resection. To obtain intraoperative GH measurements, mild anaesthesia was continued for an average of 82 +/- 23 min.

RESULTS

Radical tumour removal was determined intraoperatively in 51 patients and subsequently confirmed in 50 patients (98.0%). In 18 of 27 patients with incomplete tumour removal, immediate reoperation was performed under continous anaesthesia. In 11 of these 18 patients, endocrinological remission was achieved (14.1%; 11/78). None of the remaining nine patients who did not undergo secondary surgery achieved remission. Secondary surgery improved the remission rate from 85.7% (12/14) to 92.9% (13/14) in microadenomas and from 70.1% (38/54) to 88.9% (48/54) in non-invasive macroadenomas. Remission was not observed in patients with imageproven extrasellar extension.

CONCLUSIONS

Secondary surgery based on intraoperative GH measurement improves the outcome of tumour resection in patients with non-invasive GH secreting macroadenomas.

Pituitary tumours in the elderly

Pituitary tumours in the elderly are a neglected topic in the literature of endocrinology and gerontology. Data from autopsy studies in the elderly show that the commonest tumours are microadenomas, which are either immunocytochemically negative or stain for prolactin. Prolactin-secreting pituitary tumours, however, appear rarely in clinical series of patients in this age group and non-functioning adenomas are the commonest tumour seen, although pituitary metastasis and craniopharyngiomas also occur. Diagnosis can be difficult, but the commonest presentation is visual field loss. Hypopituitarism may be diagnosed late and incidental radiological diagnosis is not uncommon. There are few data which specifically answer the question, but there is a suggestion that the syndromes associated with hormonal hypersecretion may be milder in this age group. Conventional treatment with drugs, surgery and radiotherapy should be decided on an individual basis as these therapies appear to be well tolerated and beneficial in selected patients.