Alberto Giacinto Ambrogio

Potential Role for Retinoic Acid in Patients with Cushing's Disease

CONTEXT Cushings disease, i.e. cortisol excess due to an ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma, is a rare disorder with considerable morbidity and mortality but no satisfactory medical treatment as yet. Experimental data have recently shown that retinoic acid restrains ACTH secretion by tumoral corticotropes. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of retinoic acid treatment in patients with Cushings disease. DESIGN This is a prospective, multicenter study. Seven patients with Cushings disease (three men, four postmenopausal women) were started on 10 mg retinoic acid daily and dosage increased up to 80 mg daily for 6-12 months. ACTH, urinary free cortisol (UFC), and serum cortisol as well as clinical features of hypercortisolism and possible side effects of retinoic acid were evaluated at baseline, during retinoic acid administration, and after drug withdrawal. RESULTS A marked decrease in UFC levels was observed in five patients; mean UFC levels on retinoic acid were 22-73% of baseline values and normalization in UFC was achieved in three patients. Plasma ACTH decreased in the first month of treatment and then returned to pretreatment levels in responsive patients whereas no clear-cut pattern could be detected for serum cortisol. Blood pressure, glycemia, and signs of hypercortisolism, e.g. body weight and facial plethora, were ameliorated to a variable extent on treatment. Patients reported only mild adverse effects, e.g. xerophthalmia and arthralgias. CONCLUSIONS Long-term treatment with retinoic acid proved beneficial and well tolerated in five of seven patients with Cushings disease. This represents a novel, promising approach to medical treatment in Cushings disease.

The hypertension of Cushing's syndrome: controversies in the pathophysiology and focus on cardiovascular complications

Cushings syndrome is associated with increased mortality, mainly due to cardiovascular complications, which are sustained by the common development of systemic arterial hypertension and metabolic syndrome, which partially persist after the disease remission. Cardiovascular diseases and hypertension associated with endogenous hypercortisolism reveal underexplored peculiarities. The use of exogenous corticosteroids also impacts on hypertension and cardiovascular system, especially after prolonged treatment. The mechanisms involved in the development of hypertension differ, whether glucocorticoid excess is acute or chronic, and the source endogenous or exogenous, introducing inconsistencies among published studies. The pleiotropic effects of glucocorticoids and the overlap of the several regulatory mechanisms controlling blood pressure suggest that a rigorous comparison of in-vivo and in-vitro studies is necessary to draw reliable conclusions. This review, developed during the first ‘Altogether to Beat Cushings syndrome’ workshop held in Capri in 2012, evaluates the most important peculiarities of hypertension associated with CS, with a particular focus on its pathophysiology. A critical appraisal of most significant animal and human studies is compared with a systematic review of the few available clinical trials. A special attention is dedicated to the description of the clinical features and cardiovascular damage secondary to glucocorticoid excess. On the basis of the consensus reached during the workshop, a pathophysiology-oriented therapeutic algorithm has been developed and it could serve as a first attempt to rationalize the treatment of hypertension in Cushings syndrome.

Drugs and HPA axis

This paper outlines the interferences of the most widely used drugs with hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal function and the related laboratory parameters, with the purpose of providing practical help to clinicians during testing for hypo- or hypercortisolemic states.

The pituitary-adrenal axis in adult thalassaemic patients.

OBJECTIVE We previously described in young thalassaemic patients an altered cortisol and ACTH responsiveness suggesting an impaired adrenocortical reserve. Owing to iron overload, a worsening of adrenal function should be expected in adult patients. DESIGN In 124 adults with beta-thalassaemia, urinary free cortisol (UFC) and plasma ACTH levels were determined and compared with those measured in 150 controls. In 45 patients, cortisol was measured in response to: i) tetracosactide 1 microg as an i.v. bolus (low-dose test, LDT) and ii) tetracosactide 250 microg infused i.v. over 8 h (high-dose test, HDT). RESULTS UFC and serum cortisol were within the reference range in all patients. Conversely, basal plasma ACTH values were above the upper limit of the normal range in 19 patients. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean values of UFC, basal serum cortisol and plasma ACTH between patients and controls. A subnormal cortisol response to the LDT was registered in 18 out of 56 patients. Three of these patients also displayed a subnormal response to the HDT, together with elevated baseline plasma ACTH levels. In the LDT, a positive correlation was found between basal and peak cortisol values (P<0.0001). The latter were negatively correlated with basal ACTH values in both LDT (P<0.0001) and HDT (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Adult thalassaemic patients often present a subtle impairment of adrenocortical function. This may become clinically relevant in case of major stressful events. Thus, we recommend an assessment of adrenocortical function in all adult thalassaemic patients.

Variability in laboratory parameters used for management of Cushing’s syndrome

The progress in assay methodology, from the use of radioactive tracers to chemiluminescent signals, from competitive to chromatographic techniques and from serum or urine to saliva has considerably impacted on hormonal measurements. The clinician now may choose among multiple tests but the inherent variability in cortisol and ACTH secretion, coupled to lack of harmonization among assay procedures and normal ranges mandates careful interpretation of any result. The present review will examine factors which affect interpretation of cortisol and ACTH measurements and their impact on tests used for management of Cushing’s syndrome.

Six controversial issues on subclinical Cushing’s syndrome

Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome is a condition of hypercortisolism in the absence of signs specific of overt cortisol excess, and it is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, fragility fractures, cardiovascular events and mortality. The subclinical Cushing’s syndrome is not rare, being estimated to be between 0.2–2 % in the adult population. Despite the huge number of studies that have been published in the recent years, several issues remain controversial for the subclinical Cushing’s syndrome screening, diagnosis and treatment. The Altogether to Beat Cushing’s syndrome Group was founded in 2012 for bringing together the leading Italian experts in the hypercortisolism-related diseases. This document represents the Altogether to Beat Cushing’s syndrome viewpoint regarding the following controversial issues on Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (SCS): (1) Who has to be screened for subclinical Cushing’s syndrome? (2) How to screen the populations at risk? (3) How to diagnose subclinical Cushing’s syndrome in patients with an adrenal incidentaloma? (4) Which consequence of subclinical Cushing’s syndrome has to be searched for? (5) How to address the therapy of choice in AI patients with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome? (6) How to follow-up adrenal incidentaloma patients with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome surgically or conservatively treated? Notwithstanding the fact that most studies that faced these points may have several biases (e.g., retrospective design, small sample size, different criteria for the subclinical Cushing’s syndrome diagnosis), we believe that the literature evidence is sufficient to affirm that the subclinical Cushing’s syndrome condition is not harmless and that the currently available diagnostic tools are reliable for identifying the majority of individuals with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome.

Prognostic factors in ectopic Cushing's syndrome due to neuroendocrine tumors: a multicenter study

OBJECTIVE Evidence is limited regarding outcome of patients with ectopic Cushings syndrome (ECS) due to neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). DESIGN We assessed the prognostic factors affecting the survival of patients with NETs and ECS. METHODS Retrospective analysis of clinicopathological features, severity of hormonal syndrome, treatments from a large cohort of patients with NETs and ECS collected from 17 Italian centers. RESULTS Our series included 110 patients, 58.2% female, with mean (±s.d.) age at diagnosis of 49.5 ± 15.9 years. The main sources of ectopic ACTH were bronchial carcinoids (BC) (40.9%), occult tumors (22.7%) and pancreatic (p)NETs (15.5%). Curative surgery was performed in 56.7% (70.2% of BC, 11% of pNETs). Overall survival was significantly higher in BC compared with pNETs and occult tumors (P = 0.033) and in G1-NETs compared with G2 and G3 (P = 0.007). Negative predictive factors for survival were severity of hypercortisolism (P < 0.02), hypokalemia (P = 0.001), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.0146) and distant metastases (P < 0.001). Improved survival was observed in patients who underwent NET removal (P < 0.001). Adrenalectomy improved short-term survival. CONCLUSIONS Multiple factors affect prognosis of ECS patients: type of NET, grading, distant metastases, severity of hypercortisolism, hypokalemia and diabetes mellitus. BCs have the highest curative surgical rate and better survival compared with occult tumors and pNETs. Hypercortisolism plays a primary role in affecting outcome and quality of life; therefore, prompt and vigorous treatment of hormonal excess by NET surgery and medical therapy should be a key therapeutic goal. In refractory cases, adrenalectomy should be considered as it affects outcome positively at least in the first 2 years.

Von Willebrand factor and fibrinolytic parameters during the desmopressin test in patients with Cushing's disease

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT Desmopressin is a known haemostatic agent and is also being used, albeit at lower doses, during the diagnostic work-up of Cushings syndrome, a condition characterized by excess cortisol concentrations and frequent thromboembolic events. No study has yet evaluated whether administration of desmopressin for diagnostic purposes induces significant, adverse changes in endothelial cell markers in these patients. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS Administration of desmopressin to patients with Cushings disease induces changes in endothelial cell markers comparable with those observed in obese and normal weight subjects. It follows, that desmopressin testing does not induce disease-specific untoward changes in coagulatory markers in patients with endogenous hypercortisolism and its use in this context appears safe. AIMS Desmopressin, a vasopressin analogue, is used for various clinical purposes, including haemostasis and, in recent times, the diagnostic work-up of patients with Cushings syndrome, a condition associated with a known prothrombotic profile. We decided to evaluate whether and to what extent a diagnostic dose of desmopressin induces significant changes in endothelial parameters in patients with Cushings disease (CD) and obese and normal weight controls. METHODS Twelve patients with CD, 10 obese and five normal weight controls were studied. Von Willebrand antigen (VWF:Ag), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) were measured at baseline and up to 4 h after 10 µg desmopressin i.v. RESULTS Desmopressin 10 µg transiently increased VWF:Ag and t-PA and decreased PAI-1 in all subjects. The magnitude of the VWF:Ag and t-PA increases after desmopressin was comparable in the three groups (VWF:Ag peak-to-basal ratio 1.9 ± 0.17, 1.5 ± 0.11 and 1.8 ± 0.13 and t-PA peak-to-basal ratio 1.6 ± 0.18, 1.6 ± 0.20 and 1.8 ± 0.24 for CD, obese and controls, respectively, all NS). The PAI-1 decrease observed in patients with CD was comparable with obese (0.7 ± 0.07 and 0.6 ± 0.09, NS) and controls (0.7 ± 0.07 vs. 0.4 ± 0.09, P= 0.08). CONCLUSIONS Administration of desmopressin to patients with CD for diagnostic purposes induces a transitory increase in VWF:Ag counterbalanced by a decrease in PAI-1 and increase in t-PA. The magnitude of these changes is largely comparable with that observed in obese and normal weight controls. Our data show that testing with desmopressin does not induce disease-specific changes in endothelial markers in patients with CD.

ACTH-Secreting Pheochromocytoma with False-Negative ACTH Immunohistochemistry

Since 1955, when Roux [1] published the first association between pheochromocytoma and Cushing’s syndrome, we have come to appreciate the unique features of this unusual clinical entity. Pheochromocytoma represents a rare cause of hypercortisolism, accounting for less than 5 % of ectopic Cushing’s syndrome [2, 3] while less than 1 % of pheochromocytomas is accompanied by Cushing’s syndrome [4]. Pheochromocytomas are known to be heterogeneous, both functionally and clinically, a likely consequence of their ability to synthesize and secrete peptides in addition to catecholamine, such as vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, somatostatin, and calcitonin [5]. As regards hypothalamo– pituitary–adrenal axis peptides, both adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and other proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptides [6, 7] as well as, occasionally, corticotropinreleasing hormone (CRH) [8] have been demonstrated in pheochromocytomas associated with ectopic Cushing’s syndrome. The diagnosis of ectopic Cushing’s syndrome is known to be fraught, as the most common cause of ACTHdependent hypercortisolism, i.e., pituitary Cushing’s disease, must first be excluded. This is accomplished by extensive diagnostic procedures, such as stimulation with CRH, suppression with high dose dexamethasone and inferior petrosal sinus sampling [9]. Imaging does not play a pivotal role in the diagnostic work-up as both pituitary and ectopic ACTH-secreting pituitary tumors may prove elusive and, conversely, false-positive imaging may lead to erroneous tumor localization [10–12]. The diagnosis of ectopic ACTH-secreting Cushing’s syndrome is therefore confirmed by remission of hypercortisolism after removal of the causative lesion and positive ACTH immunostaining in surgical specimens. We here present a thought-provoking ACTH-secreting pheochromocytoma with negative immunostaining for ACTH.

Adrenal insufficiency: An emerging challenge in thalassemia?

adapted conditioning regimen or from early post transplant therapeutic strategies such as preemptive/prophylactic donor lymphocytes infusion and/or hypo-methylating agents. This analysis is hampered by the limited number of patients analyzed and by the usual limitations related to its retrospective nature. However these data, considering very high-risk features of disease in more than 50% of patients and elevated median comorbidity index are encouraging and deserve further studies. A larger prospective trial of haploidentical transplant in higher risk MDS patients fitting with the procedure and lacking an HLA identical donor is warranted.