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Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
07:43

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Published on: January 17, 2018

Optimizing acromegaly treatment

Marcello D Bronstein1

  • 1Neuroendocrine Unit, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hospital das Clinicas, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, S P, Brazil.

Frontiers of Hormone Research
|July 10, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Effective acromegaly treatment normalizes mortality by normalizing growth hormone (GH) and IGF-1 levels. Combining therapies like somatostatin analogs (SA) with pegvisomant (PEG-V) or cabergoline may improve outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Acromegaly is a rare, disabling disease with high cardiovascular mortality.
  • Mortality risk is reduced to normal levels when GH and IGF-1 levels are normalized through treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current therapeutic strategies for acromegaly control.
  • To explore combination therapies and surgical debulking for optimizing treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of epidemiological evidence and current therapeutic approaches for acromegaly.
  • Analysis of the efficacy of somatostatin analogs (SA), dopamine agonists (DA), and pegvisomant (PEG-V).

Main Results:

  • Somatostatin analogs (SA) control acromegaly in about two-thirds of patients.
  • Combination therapy (SA with PEG-V or DA) and surgical debulking show potential for enhanced control and overcoming resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Optimizing acromegaly control can be achieved through combination therapies and adjunct surgical debulking.
  • These strategies may improve patient outcomes and potentially reduce healthcare costs.

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