Pasireotide: potential treatment option for McCune-Albright-associated acromegaly

Only 30% of patients with McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS)-associated acromegaly achieve biochemical control under first-generation somatostatin receptor ligands (fg-SRLs), while pegvisomant fails to normalize insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) in >20% of cases. Here, we report all the patients with MAS-associated acromegaly treated with pasireotide long-acting release (LAR) in our center. Pasireotide LAR 20 mg/month resulted in rapid and long-term IGF-I normalization in patients #1 and #3. Patient #3 was resistant to fg-SRLs, while patient #1 was also controlled on fg-SRLs. In patient #2, resistant to fg-SRLs and uncontrolled on pegvisomant 40 mg/day combined with cabergoline 0.5 mg/day, pegvisomant was replaced with pasireotide LAR 40 mg/month, resulting in the near normalization of IGF-I levels. All 3 patients developed intermittent impaired fasting glucose, without the need for glucose-lowering drugs. Thus, pasireotide LAR is clearly useful as third-line therapy, and potentially even as second-line therapy, in MAS-associated acromegaly.