| 1. |
- Arlien-Soborg, Mai C., et al.
(author)
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Acromegaly management in the Nordic countries: A Delphi consensus survey
- 2024
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In: Clinical Endocrinology. - : WILEY. - 0300-0664 .- 1365-2265.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectiveAcromegaly is associated with increased morbidity and mortality if left untreated. The therapeutic options include surgery, medical treatment, and radiotherapy. Several guidelines and recommendations on treatment algorithms and follow-up exist. However, not all recommendations are strictly evidence-based. To evaluate consensus on the treatment and follow-up of patients with acromegaly in the Nordic countries.MethodsA Delphi process was used to map the landscape of acromegaly management in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. An expert panel developed 37 statements on the treatment and follow-up of patients with acromegaly. Dedicated endocrinologists (n = 47) from the Nordic countries were invited to rate their extent of agreement with the statements, using a Likert-type scale (1-7). Consensus was defined as >= 80% of panelists rating their agreement as >= 5 or <= 3 on the Likert-type scale.ResultsConsensus was reached in 41% (15/37) of the statements. Panelists agreed that pituitary surgery remains first line treatment. There was general agreement to recommend first-generation somatostatin analog (SSA) treatment after failed surgery and to consider repeat surgery. In addition, there was agreement to recommend combination therapy with first-generation SSA and pegvisomant as second- or third-line treatment. In more than 50% of the statements, consensus was not achieved. Considerable disagreement existed regarding pegvisomant monotherapy, and treatment with pasireotide and dopamine agonists.ConclusionThis consensus exploration study on the management of patients with acromegaly in the Nordic countries revealed a relatively large degree of disagreement among experts, which mirrors the complexity of the disease and the shortage of evidence-based data.
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| 2. |
- Arlien-Søborg, Mai C., et al.
(author)
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Acromegaly management in the nordic countries : a Delphi consensus survey
- 2024
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In: Clinical Endocrinology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0300-0664 .- 1365-2265.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Acromegaly is associated with increased morbidity and mortality if left untreated. The therapeutic options include surgery, medical treatment, and radiotherapy. Several guidelines and recommendations on treatment algorithms and follow-up exist. However, not all recommendations are strictly evidence-based. To evaluate consensus on the treatment and follow-up of patients with acromegaly in the Nordic countries.Methods: A Delphi process was used to map the landscape of acromegaly management in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. An expert panel developed 37 statements on the treatment and follow-up of patients with acromegaly. Dedicated endocrinologists (n = 47) from the Nordic countries were invited to rate their extent of agreement with the statements, using a Likert-type scale (1−7). Consensus was defined as ≥80% of panelists rating their agreement as ≥5 or ≤3 on the Likert-type scale.Results: Consensus was reached in 41% (15/37) of the statements. Panelists agreed that pituitary surgery remains first line treatment. There was general agreement to recommend first-generation somatostatin analog (SSA) treatment after failed surgery and to consider repeat surgery. In addition, there was agreement to recommend combination therapy with first-generation SSA and pegvisomant as second- or third-line treatment. In more than 50% of the statements, consensus was not achieved. Considerable disagreement existed regarding pegvisomant monotherapy, and treatment with pasireotide and dopamine agonists.Conclusion: This consensus exploration study on the management of patients with acromegaly in the Nordic countries revealed a relatively large degree of disagreement among experts, which mirrors the complexity of the disease and the shortage of evidence-based data.
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| 3. |
- Casanueva, Felipe F., et al.
(author)
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Criteria for the definition of Pituitary Tumor Centers of Excellence (PTCOE): A Pituitary Society Statement
- 2017
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In: Pituitary. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1386-341X .- 1573-7403. ; 20, s. 489-498
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- © 2017, The Author(s). Introduction: With the goal of generate uniform criteria among centers dealing with pituitary tumors and to enhance patient care, the Pituitary Society decided to generate criteria for developing Pituitary Tumors Centers of Excellence (PTCOE). Methods: To develop that task, a group of ten experts served as a Task Force and through two years of iterative work an initial draft was elaborated. This draft was discussed, modified and finally approved by the Board of Directors of the Pituitary Society. Such document was presented and debated at a specific session of the Congress of the Pituitary Society, Orlando 2017, and suggestions were incorporated. Finally the document was distributed to a large group of global experts that introduced further modifications with final endorsement. Results: After five years of iterative work a document with the ideal criteria for a PTCOE is presented. Conclusions: Acknowledging that very few centers in the world, if any, likely fulfill the requirements here presented, the document may be a tool to guide improvements of care delivery to patients with pituitary disorders. All these criteria must be accommodated to the regulations and organization of Health of a given country.
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| 4. |
- Evang, Johan Arild, et al.
(author)
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Different levels of various glucocorticoid-regulated genes in corticotroph adenomas
- 2013
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In: Endocrine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1355-008X .- 1559-0100. ; 44:1, s. 220-227
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, correlations between corticotroph tumor dedifferentiation and both E-cadherin immunostaining and reduced mRNA expression of the E-cadherin gene (CDH1) have been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to explore whether tumor dedifferentiation correlated with glucocorticoid resistance and whether the resistance was associated with both positively and negatively regulated genes. Tumor material from 20 patients with verified Cushing's disease or Nelson's syndrome operated on at Rikshospitalet, Oslo. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis of genes such as E-cadherin (CDH1), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ), and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) was performed. The correlations between the expression of the GILZ, TXNIP, and POMC genes in different stages of corticotroph adenomas, the E-cadherin mRNA expression and staining pattern, and the preoperative 24-h cortisol excretion were examined. The GILZ and TXNIP expression levels were positively correlated to the CDH1 expression and were highest in microadenomas and in tumors with a high membranous E-cadherin reactivity. In contrast, the POMC expression was not significantly different between the groups. This divergence between the genes that were positively and negatively regulated by glucocorticoids could not be supported by other gene expression analyses. No correlations to urinary cortisol were found. The expression of the glucocorticoid-responsive genes POMC, GILZ, and TXNIP in corticotroph adenomas showed a remarkable variation. The pattern and variability of glucocorticoid resistance in corticotroph adenomas seem to correlate with a loss of the epithelial phenotype associated with corticotroph tumor dedifferentiation.
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| 5. |
- Evang, J Arild, et al.
(author)
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HDAC2 expression and variable number of repeats in exon 1 of the HDAC2 gene in corticotroph adenomas
- 2010
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In: Clinical Endocrinology. - : Wiley. - 0300-0664 .- 1365-2265. ; 73:2, s. 229-235
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: Alterations in protein expression of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) have been demonstrated in various neoplasms, and lack of nuclear expression of HDAC2 has previously been shown in some human and canine corticotroph adenomas. This study aimed to examine HDAC2 expression in a Norwegian cohort of corticotroph adenomas, screen for exonic HDAC2 gene variants in the adenomas and correlate the results with clinical data.PATIENTS AND DESIGN: Forty-four patients with verified Cushing's disease or Nelson's syndrome, positive ACTH staining and tissue available for immunohistochemistry and/or DNA sequencing were included. Ninety-four controls were chosen from the Norwegian Bone Marrow Registry.RESULTS: Histone deacetylase 2 expression examined by immunohistochemistry was strongly reduced in 3/30 adenomas. There were no association between HDAC2 expression and clinical variables. A previously unidentified insertion of three bases in a region coding for a polyserine cluster in exon 1 of the HDAC2 gene was identified in 6/32 adenomas. No other mutations in HDAC2 exons were found. Examination of DNA extracted from peripheral blood confirmed germ-line origin of the exon 1 insertion. The same insertion was also found in 28/94 of the controls (i.e., not significantly different from the patients).CONCLUSIONS: Strongly reduced HDAC2 protein expression was confirmed in a small portion of corticotroph tumours. Mutations in HDAC2 exons are unlikely to play an important role in the development of corticotroph adenomas.
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| 6. |
- Evang, Johan Arild, et al.
(author)
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Reduced levels of E-cadherin correlate with progression of corticotroph pituitary tumours
- 2011
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In: Clinical Endocrinology. - Oxford : Wiley. - 0300-0664 .- 1365-2265. ; 75:6, s. 811-818
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES:Loss of E-cadherin is an important marker of epithelial tumour progression. The aims of this study were to explore whether E-cadherin expression and localization correlate to corticotroph tumour progression, relate the expression of the E-cadherin gene (CDH1) to immunohistochemical E-cadherin staining pattern, and study whether the E-cadherin levels were correlated to methylation status of the CDH1 promoter region.DESIGN:Immunohistochemical analyses of E-cadherin protein were performed, as was RT-qPCR of the CDH1 and the POMC genes. Methylation pattern of the promoter region of CDH1 was measured using pyrosequencing of bisulfite-treated DNA.PATIENTS:Forty-five patients operated at a tertiary referral centre in Oslo, Norway. Adenoma tissue sections and RNA samples from patients with verified Cushing's disease or Nelson's syndrome were collected.MEASUREMENTS:Expression of E-cadherin mRNA and protein in pituitary corticotroph adenomas and average percentage of methylated cytosines in a cytosine-phosphate-guanosine island of the CDH1 promoter.RESULTS:Correlations were observed between tumour progression and both nuclear expression of E-cadherin and reduced CDH1 mRNA. The E-cadherin expression was not determined by the methylation pattern of the CDH1 promoter.CONCLUSIONS:Corticotroph tumour progression was associated with reduced expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin.
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| 7. |
- Fougner, Stine Lyngvi, et al.
(author)
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Adenoma granulation pattern correlates with clinical variables and effect of somatostatin analogue treatment in a large series of patients with acromegaly
- 2012
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In: Clinical Endocrinology. - Malden : Wiley. - 0300-0664 .- 1365-2265. ; 76:1, s. 96-102
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CONTEXT:Somatotroph adenomas have been classified into densely granulated (DG) and sparsely granulated (SG) tumours with a transitional, intermediate group. Gsp oncogenes are activating mutations in the Gsα subunit gene, found in approximately 40% of somatotroph adenomas.OBJECTIVES:To explore granulation pattern and presence of gsp oncogene in acromegaly with correlations to clinical and biochemical variables and to the effect of treatment with somatostatin analogues (SA), as well as to describe granulation pattern in adenomas with and without SA pretreatment.DESIGN/SETTINGS/PATIENTS:Seventy-eight patients with active acromegaly were included. Long-term SA efficacy was evaluated in 29 patients treated preoperatively and in ten treated postoperatively. Granulation pattern was examined, as were immunohistochemical analyses for E-cadherin and SSTR2a. Protein levels of E-cadherin and SSTR2a were measured (Western blot). Gsp mutation analysis was available for 74 adenomas.RESULTS:DG adenomas and the transitional group had higher serum levels of IGF-1 per tumour volume than SG (P = 0·009; P = 0·005). Acute and long-term SA responses were lower in SG (P = 0·001; P = 0·043). No correlation between gsp mutation and granulation was found, and no difference in granulation pattern according to preoperative SA treatment was demonstrated. A significant correlation between granulation and E-cadherin was found, where SG had lowest immunohistochemical expression, substantiated by protein levels, and a highly significant gradient was observed from DG, through the transitional group, to SG.CONCLUSIONS:Densely granulated adenomas were highly responsive to somatostatin analogues in contrast to SG adenomas. The transitional group behaved clinically more like DG adenomas. However, based on E-cadherin, a marker of dedifferentiation, the transitional group seemed to be a true intermediate.
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| 8. |
- Fougner, Stine L, et al.
(author)
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The clinical response to somatostatin analogues in acromegaly correlates to the somatostatin receptor subtype 2a protein expression of the adenoma.
- 2008
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In: Clinical Endocrinology. - : Wiley. - 0300-0664 .- 1365-2265. ; 68:3, s. 458-65
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Reduced expression of the somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (SSTR2) has been suggested as an explanation for the poor response to octreotide in acromegaly, but studies correlating levels of SSTR2 mRNA to octreotide efficacy have been contradictory. Some studies have found better responses to somatostatin analogues in G-protein alpha subunit (Gsalpha) mutation (gsp oncogene)-positive adenomas. The aim of this study was to determine adenoma SSTR2a protein expression and gsp status in a large group of patients with acromegaly, and relate this to the clinical effect of octreotide.PATIENTS: Seventy-one patients were included. All underwent transsphenoidal surgery, 23 patients after preoperative octreotide treatment.MEASUREMENTS: The adenoma SSTR2a expression was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis, and gsp status determined. An acute octreotide test was performed, and the change in IGF-1 level after 6 months preoperative octreotide treatment was recorded.RESULTS: The acute octreotide response in non-pretreated patients and the preoperative long-term octreotide response were significantly better in patients with adenomas containing a large proportion of cells that stained positively for SSTR2a by immunohistochemistry. However, the SSTR2a protein level assessed by Western blot did not correlate with the octreotide response. The preoperatively treated group had lower SSTR2a protein levels and fewer adenomas with a large percentage of positively stained cells. The gsp oncogene was detected in 43% of the adenomas but did not correlate to the octreotide response.CONCLUSION: The clinical effect of octreotide correlates with the proportion of cells positive for SSTR2a in immunohistochemical staining, rather than the adenoma SSTR2a protein level. There may be a down-regulation of SSTR2a during octreotide treatment.
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| 9. |
- Fougner, Stine Lyngvi, et al.
(author)
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The expression of E-cadherin in somatotroph pituitary adenomas is related to tumor size, invasiveness, and somatostatin analog response
- 2010
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In: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. - : The Endocrine Society. - 0021-972X .- 1945-7197. ; 95:5, s. 2334-2342
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CONTEXT: Appropriate cell-to-cell adhesion is fundamental for the epithelial phenotype of pituitary cells. Loss of the adhesion protein E-cadherin has been associated with invasiveness, metastasis, and poor prognosis in cancers of epithelial origin. In somatotroph adenomas, a variable and reduced expression of E-cadherin has been demonstrated. In addition, nuclear translocation of E-cadherin was found to correlate with pituitary tumor invasion.OBJECTIVE: The objective was to examine the protein expression of E-cadherin in somatotroph pituitary adenomas in relation to adenoma size, invasiveness, and somatostatin analog (SMS) efficacy.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-three patients were included, and 29 were treated preoperatively with SMS. Adenoma E-cadherin protein expression was analyzed by Western blot (61 patients) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) (80 patients) with antibodies directed against both extracellular and intracellular domains (IHC). The acute (direct surgery group) and long-term (preoperatively treated group) SMS responses were evaluated. Baseline tumor volume and invasiveness were measured on magnetic resonance imaging scans.RESULTS: Membranous E-cadherin was lost in several adenomas. Nine of these were nuclear E-cadherin positive. The E-cadherin protein expression correlated negatively to tumor size and positively to acute SMS response. Low E-cadherin levels (preoperatively treated group only) and loss of membranous E-cadherin correlated to tumor invasiveness. The E-cadherin level correlated positively to tumor reduction after SMS treatment, and adenomas with nuclear E-cadherin staining had lower IGF-I reduction and tumor shrinkage. Preoperatively treated adenomas had reduced E-cadherin protein levels, but the IHC expression was unaltered.CONCLUSION: Reduced E-cadherin expression may correlate to a dedifferentiated phenotype in the somatotroph pituitary adenomas.
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| 10. |
- Kolnes, Anders Jensen, et al.
(author)
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TGFBR3L is associated with gonadotropin production in non-functioning gonadotroph pituitary neuroendocrine tumours
- 2023
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In: Pituitary. - : Springer. - 1386-341X .- 1573-7403. ; 26:2, s. 227-236
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose Transforming growth factor-beta receptor 3-like (TGFBR3L) is a pituitary enriched membrane protein selectively detected in gonadotroph cells. TGFBR3L is named after transforming growth factor-beta receptor 3 (TGFBR3), an inhibin A co-receptor in mice, due to sequence identity to the C-terminal region. We aimed to characterize TGFBR3L detection in a well-characterized, prospectively collected cohort of non-functioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (NF-PitNETs) and correlate it to clinical data.Methods 144 patients operated for clinically NF-PitNETs were included. Clinical, radiological and biochemical data were recorded. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for FSH beta and LH beta was scored using the immunoreactive score (IRS), TGFBR3L and TGFBR3 were scored by the percentage of positive stained cells.Results TGFBR3L staining was selectively present in 52% of gonadotroph tumours. TGFBR3L was associated to IRS of LH beta (median 2 [IQR 0-3] in TGFBR3L negative and median 6 [IQR 3-9] in TGFBR3L positive tumours, p < 0.001), but not to the IRS of FSH beta (p = 0.32). The presence of TGFBR3L was negatively associated with plasma gonadotropin concentrations in males (P-FSH median 5.5 IU/L [IQR 2.9-9.6] and median 3.0 [IQR 1.8-5.6] in TGFBR3L negative and positive tumours respectively, p = 0.008) and P-LH (median 2.8 IU/L [IQR 1.9-3.7] and median 1.8 [IQR 1.1-3.0] in TGFBR3L negative and positive tumours respectively, p = 0.03). TGFBR3 stained positive in 22% (n = 25) of gonadotroph tumours with no correlation to TGFBR3L.Conclusion TGFBR3L was selectively detected in half (52%) of gonadotroph NF-PitNETs. The association to LH beta staining and plasma gonadotropins suggests that TGFBR3L may be involved in hormone production in gonadotroph NF-PitNETs.
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