Current management practices for acromegaly: an international survey

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Acromegaly Management

Background:

• Acromegaly, a rare endocrine disorder caused by excess growth hormone (GH), requires standardized management strategies.
• Peer-reviewed consensus statements aim to guide clinical practice for acromegaly.
• The impact of these guidelines on global clinical practice remains to be fully elucidated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the extent to which global specialist centers adhere to published consensus guidelines for acromegaly management.
• To evaluate changes in clinical practice influenced by peer-reviewed consensus statements.

Main Methods:

• A global survey of 65 acromegaly experts attending the 7th Acromegaly Consensus Workshop in March 2009.
• Data collection focused on diagnostic methods, treatment choices (neurosurgery, somatostatin receptor ligands, pegvisomant), and outcome assessment criteria.

Main Results:

• Most diagnoses utilized a combination of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels.
• Neurosurgery was the primary treatment for specific pituitary adenomas in Europe and the USA.
• Somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs) were used in 98% of cases, with pegvisomant reserved for SRL-resistant patients (96%).

Conclusions:

• The majority of surveyed centers demonstrated adherence to consensus statement recommendations for acromegaly.
• These findings support the continued utility of consensus workshops in standardizing acromegaly management globally.