Ménétrier's disease: Long-term remission with lanreotide

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Oncology

Background:

• Ménétrier's disease is a rare hypertrophic gastropathy characterized by excessive protein loss.
• Overexpression of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) is implicated in its pathogenesis.
• Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors are a promising therapeutic avenue.

Observation:

• A case of Ménétrier's disease treated with lanreotide, a somatostatin analogue, is presented.
• The patient achieved sustained clinical remission but without complete endoscopic healing.
• This highlights the nuanced response to somatostatin analogue therapy.

Findings:

• Lanreotide treatment led to sustained clinical remission in a patient with Ménétrier's disease.
• Complete endoscopic healing was not achieved, indicating potential limitations of this treatment approach.
• Somatostatin analogues demonstrate efficacy in managing symptoms and disease activity.

Implications:

• Somatostatin analogues offer a viable alternative to radical gastrectomy for Ménétrier's disease.
• Further research into optimizing somatostatin analogue therapy is warranted for complete disease resolution.
• Understanding EGFR pathway modulation is crucial for developing targeted treatments for rare gastropathies.