Clinical features and therapeutic outcomes of patients with acromegaly: single-center experience

J Endocrinol Invest. 2011 Dec;34(11):e382-5. doi: 10.3275/7858. Epub 2011 Jul 12.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to review the outcome of acromegaly treatment, as well as co-morbidity and mortality in a series of patients with acromegaly attending a single center in the last 10 yr. In that period, 53 patients were treated for acromegaly. Transsphenoidal operation was applied as the first-line therapy in 94.3% of patients and it led to disease remission in 59.2% of them. The remission criteria included a nadir GH<1 μg/l after glucose load, and normal age-related IGF-I levels. The remission rate after transsphenoidal surgery was significantly higher in the group of patients with microadenoma (76.9%), than in the group of patients with macroadenoma (52.8%). Patients with invasive tumors had remission rate of 16.7% after transsphenoidal surgery. There were no perioperative deaths. As the second-line treatment somatostatin analogues, radiotherapy, and dopaminergic agonists were used. Hypertension and diabetes were the most frequent co-morbidities in the group of patients. After successful treatment, 30% of patients with diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance had significant improvement of glycemic control. Transsphenoidal surgery is the appropriate firstline therapy in patients with somatotropinoma. Medical and radio-therapy should be reserved as the second-line therapy after surgery failure.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Acromegaly / diagnosis
  • Acromegaly / epidemiology*
  • Acromegaly / surgery*
  • Adenoma / diagnosis
  • Adenoma / epidemiology*
  • Adenoma / surgery*
  • Adult
  • Cohort Studies
  • Databases, Factual
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma / diagnosis
  • Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma / epidemiology*
  • Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma / surgery*
  • Human Growth Hormone / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Human Growth Hormone