Effectiveness of Combined First-Line Medical Treatment in Acromegaly with Prolactin Co-secretion

OBJECTIVE

To compare the response to first-line medical treatment in treatment-naive acromegaly patients with pure growth hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary adenoma (GH-PA) and those with GH and prolactin co-secreting PA (GH&PRL-PA).

DESIGN

Retrospective multicentric study of acromegaly patients followed from 2003 to 2023 in 33 tertiary Spanish hospitals with at least six months of first-line medical treatment.

METHODS

Baseline characteristics, first-line medical treatment strategies, and outcomes were analysed. We employed a multiple logistic regression full model to estimate the impact of some baseline characteristics on disease control after each treatment modality.

RESULTS

Of the 144 patients included, 72.9% had a GH-PA, and 27.1% had a GH&PRL-PA. Patients with GH&PRL-PA were younger (43.9 ± 15.0 vs. 51.9 ± 12.7 years; p < 0.01) and harboring more frequently macroadenomas (89.7% vs. 72.1%, p = 0.03). First generation somatostatin receptor ligand (fgSRL) as monotherapy was given to 106 (73.6%) and a combination treatment with fgSRL and cabergoline in the remaining 38 (26.4%). Patients with GH&PRL-PA received more frequently a combination therapy (56.4% vs. 15.2%; p < 0.01). After 6 months of treatment, in the group of patients under fgSRL as monotherapy, those patients with GH&PRL-PA had worse control compared to GH-PAs (29.4% vs. 55.1%, p = 0.04). However, these differences in the rate of disease control between both groups disappeared when both received combination treatment with fgSRL and cabergoline.

CONCLUSION

In GH&PRL-PA the biochemical control achieved with fgSRL as monotherapy is substantially worse than in patients harboring GH-PA, supporting the inclusion of cabergoline as first line medical treatment in combination with fgSRLs in these subgroups of patients.

Integrative Clinical, Hormonal and Molecular Data associate with Invasiveness in Acromegaly: REMAH Study

INTRODUCTION

Growth-hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary-tumors (GHomas) are the most common acromegaly cause. At diagnosis, most of them are macroadenomas, and up to 56% display cavernous sinus invasion. Biomarkers assessment associated with tumor-growth and invasion are important to optimize their management.

OBJECTIVES

To identify clinical/hormonal/molecular-biomarkers associated with tumor-size and invasiveness in GHomas, and to analyze the influence of pre-treatment with somatostatin-analogs or dopamine-agonists in key molecular biomarkers expression.

METHODS

Clinical/analytical/radiological-variables were evaluated in 192 patients from the REMAH-study (ambispective multicenter post-surgery study of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition). Expression of somatostatin/ghrelin/dopamine-systems components, and key pituitary/proliferation-markers were evaluated in GHomas after the first surgery. Univariate/multivariate regression studies were performed to identify association between variables.

RESULTS

80% of patients harbor macroadenomas (63.8% with extrasellar-growth). Associations between larger and more invasive GHomas with younger age, visual-abnormalities, higher IGF1-levels, extrasellar/suprasellar-growth and/or cavernous-sinus invasion were found. Higher GH1 and lower PRL/POMC/CGA/AVPR1B/DRD2T/DRD2L expression levels (p<0.05) were associated to tumor invasiveness. LASSO´s penalized regression identified combinations of clinical and molecular features with AUCs between 0.67-0.82. Preoperative therapy with dopamine-agonist or somatostatin-analogs did not alter the expression of any of the markers analyzed except for DRD1/AVPR1B (up-regulated with dopamine-agonist), and FSHB/CRHR1 (down-regulated with somatostatin-analogs).

CONCLUSIONS

A specific combination of clinical/analytical/molecular variables was found to be associated with tumor invasiveness and growth capacity in GHomas. Pre-treatment with first-line drugs for acromegaly did not significantly modify the expression of the most relevant biomarkers in our association model. These findings provide valuable insights for risk stratification and personalized management of GHomas.

Pegvisomant or pasirotide in PRL and GH co-secreting vs GH-secreting Pit-NETs

AIM

To evaluate the efficacy of second-line therapies in patients with acromegaly caused by a growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) co-secreting pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (GH/PRL-Pit-NET) and compare to those caused by a GH-Pit-NET.

METHODS

A multicenter retrospective study of patients with acromegaly on treatment with pasireotide or pegvisomant. Patients were classified in two groups: GH/PRL-Pit-NETs when evidence of hyperprolactinemia and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for GH and PRL was positive or if PRL were >200 ng/dL regardless of the PRL-IHC; and GH-Pit-NETs when the previously mentioned criteria were not met.

RESULTS

A total of 28 cases with GH/PRL-Pit-NETs and 122 with GH-Pit-NETs met the inclusion criteria. GH/PRL-Pit-NETs presented at a younger age, caused hypopituitarism and were invasive more frequently than GH-Pit-NETs. There were 124 patients treated with pegvisomant and 49 with pasireotide at any time. The efficacy of pegvisomant for IGF-1 normalization was of 81.5% and of pasireotide of 71.4%. No differences in IGF-1 control with pasireotide neither with pegvisomant were observed between GH/PRL-Pit-NETs and GH-Pit-NETs. All GH/PRL-Pit-NET cases treated with pasireotide (n=6) and 82.6% (n=19/23) of the cases treated with pegvisomant normalized PRL levels. No differences in the rate of IGF-1 control between pegvisomant and pasireotide were detected in patients with GH/PRL-Pit-NETs (84.9% vs. 66.7%, P=0.178).

CONCLUSION

Despite the more aggressive behavior of GH/PRL-Pit-NETs than GH-Pit-NETs, no differences in the rate of IGF-1 control with pegvisomant and pasireotide is observed between both groups, and both drugs are effective treatments to control IGF-1 and PRL hypersecretion in these tumors.

Differences between GH and PRL co-secreting and GH-secreting pituitary adenomas. A series of 604 cases

PURPOSE

To evaluate differences in clinical presentation and in surgical outcomes between growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas (GH-PAs) and GH and prolactin co-secreting pituitary adenomas (GH&PRL-PAs).

METHODS

Multicenter retrospective study of 604 patients with acromegaly submitted to pituitary surgery. Patients were classified into two groups according to serum PRL levels at diagnosis and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for PRL: a) GH&PRL-PAs when PRL levels were above the upper limit of normal and IHC for GH and PRL was positive or PRL levels were >100ng/and PRL IHC was not available (n=130) and b) GH-PAs who did not meet the previously mentioned criteria (n=474).

RESULTS

GH&PRL-PAs represented 21.5% (n=130) of patients with acromegaly. The mean age at diagnosis was lower in GH&PRL-PAs than in GH-PAs (P<0.001). GH&PRL-PAs were more frequently macroadenomas (90.6% vs. 77.4%, P=0.001) and tended to be more invasive (33.6% vs. 24.7%, P=0.057) than GH-PAs. Furthermore, they had presurgical hypopituitarism more frequently (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.83-4.38). IGF-1 upper limit of normality (ULN) levels at diagnosis were lower in patients with GH&PRL-PAs (median 2.4 [IQR 1.73-3.29] vs. 2.7 [IQR 1.91-3.67], P=0.023). There were no differences in the immediate (41.1% vs 43.3%, P=0.659) or long-term post-surgical acromegaly biochemical cure rate (53.5% vs. 53.1%, P=0.936) between groups. However, there was a higher incidence of permanent arginine-vasopressin deficiency (AVP-D) (7.3% vs. 2.4%, P=0.011) in GH&PRL-PAs patients.

CONCLUSIONS

GH&PRL-PAs are responsible for 20% of acromegaly cases. These tumors are more invasive, larger and cause hypopituitarism more frequently than GH-PAs and are diagnosed at an earlier age. The biochemical cure rate is similar between both groups, but patients with GH&PRL-PAs tend to develop permanent postsurgical AVP-D more frequently.

Revisiting the usefulness of the short acute octreotide test to predict treatment outcomes in acromegaly

Introduction

We previously described that a short version of the acute octreotide test (sAOT) can predict the response to first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs) in patients with acromegaly. We have prospectively reassessed the sAOT in patients from the ACROFAST study using current ultra-sensitive GH assays. We also studied the correlation of sAOT with tumor expression of E-cadherin and somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) .

Methods

A total of 47 patients treated with SRLs for 6 months were evaluated with the sAOT at diagnosis and correlated with SRLs' response. Those patients whose IGF1 decreased to <3SDS from normal value were considered responders and those whose IGF1 was ≥3SDS, were considered non-responders. The 2 hours GH value (GH2h) after s.c. administration of 100 mcg of octreotide was used to define predictive cutoffs. E-cadherin and SSTR2 immunostaining in somatotropinoma tissue were investigated in 24/47 and 18/47 patients, respectively.

Results

In all, 30 patients were responders and 17 were non-responders. GH2h was 0.68 (0.25-1.98) ng/mL in responders vs 2.35 (1.59-9.37) ng/mL in non-responders (p<0.001). GH2h = 1.4ng/mL showed the highest ability to identify responders (accuracy of 81%, sensitivity of 73.3%, and specificity of 94.1%). GH2h = 4.3ng/mL was the best cutoff for non-response prediction (accuracy of 74%, sensitivity of 35.3%, and specificity of 96.7%). Patients with E-cadherin-positive tumors showed a lower GH2h than those with E-cadherin-negative tumors [0.9 (0.3-2.1) vs 3.3 (1.5-12.1) ng/mL; p<0.01], and patients with positive E-cadherin presented a higher score of SSTR2 (7.5 ± 4.2 vs 3.3 ± 2.1; p=0.01).

Conclusion

The sAOT is a good predictor tool for assessing response to SRLs and correlates with tumor E-cadherin and SSTR2 expression. Thus, it can be useful in clinical practice for therapeutic decision-making in patients with acromegaly.

Mortality in Acromegaly Diagnosed in Older Individuals in Spain Is Higher in Women Compared to the General Spanish Population

CONTEXT

There are no data on mortality of acromegaly diagnosed in older individuals.

OBJECTIVE

This work aimed to compare clinical characteristics, growth hormone-related comorbidities, therapeutic approaches, and mortality rate of patients diagnosed before or after 2010 and to assess overall mortality rate compared with the general Spanish population.

METHODS

A retrospective evaluation was conducted among Spanish tertiary care centers of 118 patients diagnosed with acromegaly at age 65 or older. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed to trace survival, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the risk factors associated with mortality. We also compared mortality with that of the Spanish population by using age- and sex-adjusted standardized mortality ratios (SMRs).

RESULTS

No differences were found in first-line treatment or biochemical control, between both periods except for faster biochemical control after 2010. Twenty-nine (24.6%) patients died, without differences between groups, and had a median of follow-up 8.6 years (103, [72.3] months). Overall SMR was 1.02 (95% CI, 0.57-1.54), (0.60; 95% CI, 0.35-1.06) for men and (1.80; 95% CI, 1.07-2.94) for women. The most common cause of death was cardiovascular disease (CVD).

CONCLUSION

The mortality in patients with acromegaly diagnosed in older individuals was no different between both periods, and there was no overall SMR difference compared with the general Spanish population. However, the SMR was higher in women. As CVD is the leading cause of mortality, it seems advisable to initiate an intense CVD protective treatment as soon as acromegaly is diagnosed, particularly in women, in addition to tight acromegaly control to prevent excess mortality.

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.

Molecular determinants of enhanced response to somatostatin receptor ligands after debulking in large GH-producing adenomas

OBJECTIVE

Large somatotrophic adenomas depict poor response to somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs). Debulking has shown to enhance SRLs effect in some but not all cases and tumour volume reduction has been proposed as the main predictor of response. No biological studies have been performed so far in this matter. We aimed to identify molecular markers of response to SRLs after surgical debulking in GH-secreting adenomas.

DESIGN

We performed a multicenter retrospective study.

PATIENTS

24 patients bearing large GH-producing tumours.

MEASUREMENTS

Clinical data and SRLs response both before and after surgical debulking were collected, and 21 molecular biomarkers of SRLs response were studied in tumour samples by gene expression.

RESULTS

From the 21 molecular markers studied, only two of them predicted enhanced SRLs response after surgery. Tumours with improved response to SRLs after surgical debulking showed lower levels of Ki-67 (MKI67, FC = 0.17 and P = .008) and higher levels of RAR-related orphan receptor C (RORC) (FC = 3.1 and P ˂ .001). When a cut-off of no detectable expression was used for Ki-67, the model provided a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 52.6% with an area under the curve of 65.8%. Using a cut-off of 2 units of relative expression of RORC, the prediction model showed 100% of sensitivity and specificity.

CONCLUSIONS

High levels of RORC and low levels of Ki-67 identify improved SRLs response after surgical debulking in large somatotropic adenomas. To determine their expression would facilitate medical treatment decision-making after surgery.

Pasireotide in the Personalized Treatment of Acromegaly

The delay in controlling the disease in patients who do not respond to first-line treatment with first generation somatostatin receptor ligands (first-generation SRLs) can be quantified in years, as every modification in the medical therapy requires some months to be fully evaluated. Considering this, acromegaly treatment should benefit from personalized medicine therapeutic approach by using biomarkers identifying drug response. Pasireotide has been positioned mostly as a compound to be used in first-generation SRLs resistant patients and after surgical failure, but sufficient data are now available to indicate it is a first line therapy for patients with certain characteristics. Pasireotide has been proved to be useful in patients in which hyperintensity T2 MRI signal is shown and in those depicting low SST2 and high expression of SST5, low or mutated AIP condition and sparsely granulated immunohistochemical pattern. This combination of clinical and pathological characteristics is unique for certain patients and seems to cluster in the same cases, strongly suggesting an etiopathogenic link. Thus, in this paper we propose to include this clinico-pathologic phenotype in the therapeutic algorithm, which would allow us to use as first line medical treatment those compounds with the highest potential for achieving the fastest control of GH hypersecretion as well as a positive effect upon tumor shrinkage, therefore accelerating the implementation of precision medicine for acromegaly. Moreover, we suggest the development, validation and clinical use of a pasireotide acute test, able to identify patients responsive to pasireotide LAR as the acute octreotide test is able to do for SRLs.

Craniopharyngioma in the Elderly: A Multicenter and Nationwide Study in Spain

BACKGROUND

Craniopharyngioma (CP) is a rare tumor in the elderly whose clinical features and prognosis are not well known in this population.

AIM

To evaluate the clinicopathological features and therapeutic outcomes of CP diagnosed in the elderly.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective, multicenter, national study of CP patients diagnosed over the age of 65 years and surgically treated.

RESULTS

From a total of 384 adult CP patients, we selected 53 (13.8%) patients (27 women [50.9%], mean age 72.3 ± 5.1 years [range 65-83 years]) diagnosed after the age of 65 years. The most common clinical symptoms were visual field defects (71.2%) followed by headache (45.3%). The maximum tumor diameter was 2.9 ± 1.1 cm. In most patients, the tumor was suprasellar (96.2%) and mixed (solid-cystic) (58.5%). The surgical approach most commonly used was transcranial surgery (52.8%), and more than half of the patients (54.7%) underwent subtotal resection (STR). Adamantinomatous CP and papillary CP were present in 51 and 45.1%, respectively, with mixed forms in the remaining. Surgery was accompanied by an improvement in visual field defects and in headaches; however, pituitary hormonal hypofunction increased, mainly at the expense of an increase in the prevalence of diabetes insipidus (DI) (from 3.9 to 69.2%). Near-total resection (NTR) was associated with a higher prevalence of DI compared with subtotal resection (87.5 vs. 53.6%, p = 0.008). Patients were followed for 46.7 ± 40.8 months. The mortality rate was 39.6% with a median survival time of 88 (95% CI: 57-118) months. DI at last visit was associated with a lower survival.

CONCLUSION

CP diagnosed in the elderly shows a similar distribution by sex and histologic forms than that diagnosed at younger ages. At presentation, visual field alterations and headaches are the main clinical symptoms which improve substantially with surgery. However, surgery, mainly NTR, is accompanied by worsening of pituitary function, especially DI, which seems to be a predictor of mortality in this population.

Effectiveness of lanreotide autogel 120 mg at extended dosing intervals for acromegaly

PURPOSE

Recent data indicate that extended dosing intervals (EDIs) with lanreotide autogel 120 mg are effective and well-received among patients with acromegaly who have achieved biochemical control with monthly injections of long-acting somatostatin analogues (SSAs). We further evaluated the effectiveness of lanreotide autogel 120 mg delivered at EDIs (>4 weeks) in routine clinical practice.

METHODS

Cross-sectional, multicentre, observational study conducted to determine the effectiveness-measured by control of serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)-of lanreotide autogel 120 mg at dosing intervals >4 weeks for ≥6 months in selected patients with acromegaly treated in routine clinical practice (NCT02807233). Secondary assessments included control of growth hormone (GH) levels, treatment adherence, patient satisfaction, and quality of life (QoL) using validated questionnaires (EQ-5D, AcroQoL, and TSQM-9). Patients who received radiotherapy within the last 6 months were excluded.

RESULTS

Among 109 patients evaluated, mean (SD) age was 59.1 (13.2) years. IGF-1 values were normal (mean [SD]: 175.0 [74.5], 95% CI: 160.8 -189.1) in 91.7% of cases and normal in 91.4% of patients without previous radiotherapy treatment (n = 81). GH levels were ≤2.5 and ≤1 ng/mL, respectively, in 80.6% and 58.3%. Most patients were treated either every 5-6 (57.8%) or 7-8 weeks (38.5%), with 2.8% treated greater than every 8 weeks. The mean AcroQoL score was 63.0 (20.1). The mean global treatment satisfaction score (TSQM-9) was 75.1 (16.6). Treatment adherence (defined as no missed injections) was 94.5%.

CONCLUSION

Lanreotide autogel 120 mg at intervals of >4 weeks provided IGF-1 control in more than 90% of patients with acromegaly. Treatment satisfaction and adherence were good. These findings support use of extended dosing intervals in patients who have achieved good biochemical control with long-acting SSAs.

Molecular profiling for acromegaly treatment: a validation study

Pharmacologic treatment of acromegaly is currently based upon assay-error strategy, the first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (SRL) being the first-line treatment. However, about 50% of patients do not respond adequately to SRL. Our objective was to evaluate the potential usefulness of different molecular markers as predictors of response to SRL. We used somatotropinoma tissue obtained after surgery from a national cohort of 100 acromegalic patients. Seventy-one patients were treated with SRL during at least 6 months under maximal therapeutic doses according to IGF1 values. We analyzed the expression of SSTR2, SSTR5, AIP, CDH1 (E-cadherin), MKI67 (Ki-67), KLK10, DRD2, ARRB1, GHRL, In1-Ghrelin, PLAGL1 and PEBP1 (RKIP) by RT-qPCR and mutations in GNAS gene by Sanger sequencing. The response to SRL was categorized as complete response (CR), partial (PR) or non-response (NR) if IGF1 was normal, between >2<3 SDS or >3 SDS IGF1 at 6 months of follow-up, respectively. From the 71 patients treated, there were 27 CR (38%), 18 PR (25%) and 26 NR (37%). SSTR2, Ki-67 and E-cadherin were associated with SRL response (P < 0.03, P < 0.01 and P < 0.003, respectively). E-cadherin was the best discriminator for response prediction (AUC = 0.74, P < 0.02, PPV of 83.7%, NPV of 72.6%), which was validated at protein level. SSTR5 expression was higher in patients pre-treated with SRL before surgery. We conclude that somatotropinomas showed heterogeneity in the expression of genes associated with SRL response. E-cadherin was the best molecular predictor of response to SRL. Thus, the inclusion of E-cadherin in subsequent treatment-decision after surgical failure may be useful in acromegaly.

Diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with acromegaly in a clinical practice setting in Spain: the ACROPRAXIS program Delphi survey

AIM

The ACROPRAXIS program aims to describe the management of acromegaly in Spain and provide guidance.

METHODS

Ninety-three endocrinologists were organized into 13 panels to discuss the practical issues in managing acromegaly. Based on the key learnings, an online Delphi survey with 62 statements was performed, so those statements achieving consensus could be used as guidance. Statements were rated on a 9-point scale (9, full agreement; consensus > 66.6% of response in the same tertile).

RESULTS

Ninety-two endocrinologists (98.8%) answered two rounds of the survey (mean age 47.6 years; 59.8% women; median 18.5 years of experience). Consensus was achieved for 49 (79%) statements.

DIAGNOSIS

The levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGFI) is the preferred screening test. If IGFI levels 1-1.3 ULN, the test is repeated and growth hormone (GH) after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is assessed. A pituitary magnetic resonance is performed after biochemical diagnosis.

TREATMENT

Surgery is the first treatment choice for patients with microadenoma or macroadenoma with/without optical pathway compression. Pre-surgical somatostatin analogues (SSA) are indicated when surgery is delayed and/or to reduce anaesthesia-associated risks. After unsuccessful surgery, reintervention is performed if the residual tumor is resectable, while if non-resectable, SSA are administered. Follow-up First biochemical and clinical controls are performed 1-3 months after surgery. Disease remission is considered if random GH levels are < 1 µg/L or OGTT is < 1 or ≤ 0.4 µg/L, depending on the assay's sensitivity.

CONCLUSION

Current clinical management for acromegaly is homogeneous across Spain and generally follows clinical guidelines.

Strategic reflections of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition on the future of the speciality in the period 2018-2022

Endocrine diseases are experiencing an important increase in their prevalence, due to causes of various kinds, including the epidemic of obesity and malnutrition, the aging of the population, but also the effect of endocrine disruptors, among others. On the other hand, new technologies, both in terms of molecular and genetic analysis, image and new therapeutic devices, require that the endocrine professional community in Spain must be in constant training. The connection with patients through their associations, increasingly active, and with the civil society in general, the professional commitment and demand of various social groups for a modern and equitable care, and to carry out research that facilitates the achievement of advances for patients, forces the specialist in endocrinology and nutrition and the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN) to position themselves and respond to all these challenges. In this document, the SEEN presents its proposals and its strategy until 2022.

The Effect of the Exon-3-Deleted Growth Hormone Receptor on Pegvisomant-Treated Acromegaly: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The common exon 3 deletion polymorphism of the growth hormone receptor (d3-GHR) is associated with disease severity in acromegaly patients. The GHR antagonist pegvisomant (PEGV) is highly effective in treating severe acromegaly. Response to PEGV treatment seems to be influenced by d3-GHR and appears to be more responsive to PEGV, although available results remain conflicting.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the influence of d3-GHR on the responsiveness of acromegaly patients to PEGV by compiling the evidence derived from the largest available studies.

DESIGN

A systematic review of the literature identified three published studies and one conference abstract. Acromegaly patients (n = 324, 49.7% d3-GHR carriers) were treated with either PEGV monotherapy or PEGV combined with long-acting somatostatin analogues and/or cabergoline. A meta-analysis of raw data from these studies was performed.

RESULTS

No significant effect of the d3-GHR was observed while bringing insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels below the upper limit of normal with PEGV, which was defined as the lowest IGF-I level during PEGV treatment (mean difference: -2.3%; 95% CI: -6.5 to 1.8, p = 0.270). The PEGV dose required to achieve the lowest IGF-I levels was also not significantly influenced by individuals carrying d3-GHR (mean difference: 4.1 mg weekly; 95% CI: -5.1 to 13.2, p = 0.385). For both outcomes, separate analysis of PEGV monotherapy and combination treatment gave similar results.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the d3-GHR polymorphism has no effect on biochemical disease control in acromegaly, as it is not of added value for either the prediction of PEGV responsiveness or the determination of the required PEGV dose.

The Molecular Registry of Pituitary Adenomas (REMAH): A bet of Spanish Endocrinology for the future of individualized medicine and translational research

Pituitary adenomas are uncommon, difficult to diagnose tumors whose heterogeneity and low incidence complicate large-scale studies. The Molecular Registry of Pituitary Adenomas (REMAH) was promoted by the Andalusian Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SAEN) in 2008 as a cooperative clinical-basic multicenter strategy aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment of pituitary adenomas by combining clinical, pathological, and molecular information. In 2010, the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN) extended this project to national level and established 6 nodes with common protocols and methods for sample and clinical data collection, molecular analysis, and data recording in a common registry (www.remahnacional.com). The registry combines clinical data with molecular phenotyping of the resected pituitary adenoma using quantitative real-time PCR of expression of 26 genes: Pituitary hormones (GH-PRL-LH-FSH-PRL-ACTH-CGA), receptors (somatostatin, dopamine, GHRH, GnRH, CRH, arginine-vasopressin, ghrelin), other markers (Ki67, PTTG1), and control genes. Until 2015, molecular information has been collected from 704 adenomas, out of 1179 patients registered. This strategy allows for comparative and relational analysis between the molecular profile of the different types of adenoma and the clinical phenotype of patients, which may provide a better understanding of the condition and potentially help in treatment selection. The REMAH is therefore a unique multicenter, interdisciplinary network founded on a shared database that provides a far-reaching translational approach for management of pituitary adenomas, and paves the way for the conduct of combined clinical-basic innovative studies on large patient samples.