Changes in multi-modality management of acromegaly in a tertiary centre over 2 decades.

PURPOSE: Acromegaly is a rare disease associated with chronic multisystem complications. New therapeutic strategies have emerged in the last decades, combining pituitary transsphenoidal surgery (TSS), radiotherapy or radiosurgery (RXT) and medical treatments. METHODS: This retrospective monocentric study focused on presentation, management and outcome of acromegaly patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2020, still followed up in 2020, with a minimum follow-up of 1 year, and comparison of the first vs. second decade of the study. RESULTS: 275 patients were included, 50 diagnosed before 2010 and 225 after 2010. 95% of them had normal IGF-1 levels (with or without treatment) at the last follow-up. Transsphenoidal surgery was more successful after 2010 (75% vs. 54%; p < 0.01), while tumor characteristics remained the same over time. The time from first treatment to biochemical control was shorter after 2010 than before (8 vs. 16 months; p = 0.03). Since 2010, RT was used less frequently (10% vs. 32%; p < 0.01) but more rapidly after surgery (26 vs. 53 months; p = 0.03). In patients requiring anti-secretory drugs after TSS, the time from first therapy to biochemical control was shorter after 2010 (16 vs. 29 months; p < 0.01). Tumor size, tumor invasiveness, baseline IGF-1 levels and Trouillas classification were identified as predictors of remission. CONCLUSION: The vast majority of patients with acromegaly now have successful disease control with a multimodal approach. They reached biochemical control sooner in the most recent half of the study period. Future work should focus on those patients who are still uncontrolled and on the sequelae of the disease.

Discordant biological parameters of remission in acromegaly do not increase the risk of hypertension or diabetes: a study with the Liege Acromegaly Survey database.

PURPOSE: Acromegaly is a rare disease due to growth hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary adenoma. GH and IGF-1 levels are usually congruent, indicating either remission or active disease; however, a discrepancy between GH and IGF-1 may occur. We aimed to evaluate the outcome of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT) in acromegalic patients with congruent GH and/or IGF-1 levels vs. discordant biochemical parameters. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the data of 3173 patients from the Liege Acromegaly Survey (LAS) allowed us to include 190 patients from 8 tertiary referral centers across Europe, treated by surgery, with available data concerning DM and HT both at diagnosis and at the last follow-up (LFU). We recorded the number of anti-HT and anti-DM drugs used at the first evaluation and at LFU for every patient. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients belonged to the REM group (concordant parameters), 65 patients were considered as GHdis (high random GH/controlled IGF-1), and 26 patients were considered as IGF-1dis (high IGF-1/controlled random GH). At diagnosis, 72 patients (37.8%) had HT and 54 patients had DM (28.4%). There was no statistically significant difference in terms of the number of anti-HT and anti-DM drugs at diagnosis versus LFU (mean duration: 7.3 ± 4.5 years) between all three groups. CONCLUSION: The long-term outcome of DM and HT in acromegaly does not tend to be more severe in patients with biochemical discordance in comparison with patients considered as in remission on the basis of concordant biological parameters, suggesting that patients with biochemical discordance do not require a closer follow-up.