Primary hyperparathyroidism in patients with thyroid cancer: prevalence and prognosis in a retrospective monocentric study.

Purpose: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is associated with long-term implications on many aspects of general health and has been linked to various tumor types. This retrospective monocentric study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism in a cohort of thyroid cancer patients and its impact on their general prognosis.

Methods: The prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism (concomitant or subsequent) was retrospectively evaluated in a cohort of 450 patients with a diagnosis of differentiated thyroid cancer.

Octreotide for acromegaly treatment: a reappraisal.

Introduction: Acromegaly is a rare disorder characterized by excess secretion of growth hormone (GH) generally caused by a pituitary macroadenoma and associated with reduced life expectancy if the disease is untreated. This article covers the recent available evidences published on octreotide , the first somatostatin analog introduced into clinical practice for the medical treatment of acromegaly.

Areas Covered: This article discusses i) pharmacology of somatostatin and octreotide; ii) biochemical effects of regular octreotide and long-acting repeatable formulation; iii) tumor shrinkage effects of octreotide in acromegaly; iv) impact of octreotide on acromegalic clinical manifestations and chronic complications; v) safety of octreotide and vi) place of octreotide in the guidelines for acromegaly treatment.

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and parathyroid hormone.

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) is the most common form of secondary osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates are considered the first-line treatment option for the majority of glucocorticoid-treated patients at increased risk of fractures. However, the anti-resorptive mechanism of bisphosphonates does not address the major pathophysiological mechanisms of impaired bone formation during chronic glucocorticoid treatment.

Glucocorticoid replacement therapy and vertebral fractures in hypopituitary adult males with GH deficiency.

Objective: GH deficiency (GHD) and glucocorticoid excess are associated with increased risk of fragility fractures. We aimed to evaluate whether the prevalence of vertebral fractures may be influenced by glucocorticoid over-replacement in hypopituitary males with GHD.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Pituitary tumours: inflammatory and granulomatous expansive lesions of the pituitary.

Inflammatory and granulomatous diseases of the pituitary are rare causes of sellar masses. Lymphocytic hypophysitis is the most relevant of these disorders, and it is characterised by autoimmune pathogenesis with focal or diffuse inflammatory infiltration and varying degrees of pituitary gland destruction. Endocrine symptoms may include partial or total hypopituitarism, with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency being the earliest and most frequent alteration.