Metabolomic Biomarkers in Urine of Cushing’s Syndrome Patients

Posted on January 29, 2026 by MaryO
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18(2), 294; doi:10.3390/ijms18020294 (registering DOI)

Alicja Kotłowska 1,* , Tomasz Puzyn 2, Krzysztof Sworczak 3, Piotr Stepnowski 4 and Piotr Szefer 1

1 Department of Food Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland
2 Laboratory of Environmental Chemometrics, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
3 Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, ul. Dębinki 7, 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland
4 Department ofEnvironmental Analytics, Institute for Environmental and Human Health Protection, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, ul. Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Ting-Li (Morgan) Han
Received: 5 December 2016 / Revised: 9 January 2017 / Accepted: 19 January 2017 / Published: 29 January 2017
(This article belongs to the Section Molecular Diagnostics)
Download PDF [1853 KB, uploaded 29 January 2017]

Abstract

Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is a disease which results from excessive levels of cortisol in the human body. The disorder is associated with various signs and symptoms which are also common for the general population not suffering from compound hypersecretion. Thus, more sensitive and selective methods are required for the diagnosis of CS.

This follow-up study was conducted to determine which steroid metabolites could serve as potential indicators of CS and possible subclinical hypercortisolism in patients diagnosed with so called non-functioning adrenal incidentalomas (AIs).

Urine samples from negative controls (n = 37), patients with CS characterized by hypercortisolism and excluding iatrogenic CS (n = 16), and patients with non-functioning AIs with possible subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (n = 25) were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector (GC/FID). Statistical and multivariate methods were applied to investigate the profile differences between examined individuals. The analyses revealed hormonal differences between patients with CS and the rest of examined individuals.

The concentrations of selected metabolites of cortisol, androgens, and pregnenetriol were elevated whereas the levels of tetrahydrocortisone were decreased for CS when opposed to the rest of the study population. Moreover, after analysis of potential confounding factors, it was also possible to distinguish six steroid hormones which discriminated CS patients from other study subjects.

The obtained discriminant functions enabled classification of CS patients and AI group characterized by mild hypersecretion of cortisol metabolites. It can be concluded that steroid hormones selected by applying urinary profiling may serve the role of potential biomarkers of CS and can aid in its early diagnosis.

 

Keywords: Cushing’s syndrome; metabolomics; multivariate analysis; biomarkers; steroid hormones; urinary profiling; gas chromatography; linear discriminant analysis
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).

Supplementary material

From http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/18/2/294

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Identification Of Potential Markers For Cushing’s Disease

Posted on January 27, 2026 by MaryO

Endocr Pract. 2016 Jan 20. [Epub ahead of print]

Broder MS1, Chang E1, Cherepanov D1, Neary MP2, Ludlam WH2.

Author information

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Cushing’s disease (CD) causes a wide variety of nonspecific symptoms, which may result in delayed diagnosis. It may be possible to uncover unusual combinations of otherwise common symptoms using ICD-9-CM codes. Our aim was to identify and evaluate dyads of clinical symptoms or conditions associated with CD.

METHODS:

We conducted a matched case-control study using a commercial healthcare insurance claims database, designed to compare the relative risk (RR) of individual conditions and dyad combinations of conditions among patients with CD versus matched non-CD controls.

RESULTS:

With expert endocrinologist input, we isolated 10 key conditions (localized adiposity, hirsutism, facial plethora, polycystic ovary syndrome, abnormal weight gain, hypokalemia, deep venous thrombosis, muscle weakness, female balding, osteoporosis) with RR varying from 5.1 for osteoporosis to 27.8 for hirsutism. The RR of dyads of these conditions ranged from 4.1 for psychiatric disorders/serious infections to 128.0 for hirsutism/fatigue in patients with vs. without CD. Construction of uncommon dyads resulted in further increases in RR beyond single condition analyses, such as osteoporosis alone had RR of 5.3, which increased to 8.3 with serious infections and to 52.0 with obesity.

CONCLUSION:

This study demonstrated that RR of any one of 10 key conditions selected by expert opinion was ≥5 times greater in CD compared to non-CD, and nearly all dyads had RR≥5. An uncommon dyad of osteoporosis and obesity had an RR of 52.0. If clinicians consider the diagnosis of CD when the highest-risk conditions are seen, identification of this rare disease may improve.

KEYWORDS:

Cushing’s disease; delay in diagnosis; disease markers; insurance claims; relative risk

PMID:
26789346
[PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

From http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26789346

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Cushing’s Syndrome Subtype Affects Postoperative Time to Adrenal Recovery

Posted on January 25, 2026 by MaryO

Berr CM. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014;doi:10.1210/jc.2014-3632.

January 16, 2015

In patients undergoing curative surgical tumor resection for Cushing’s syndrome, the time to recovery of adrenal function is contingent upon the underlying etiology of the disease, according to recent findings.

In the retrospective study, researchers reviewed case records of 230 patients with Cushing’s syndrome. All patients were seen at a tertiary care center in Munich between 1983 and 2014, whose cases were documented in the German Cushing’s Registry. Patients were divided into three subgroups of Cushing’s syndrome: Cushing’s disease, adrenal Cushing’s syndrome and ectopic Cushing’s syndrome.

After applying various exclusion criteria, the researchers identified 91 patients of the three subgroups who were undergoing curative surgery at the hospital. The patients were followed for a median of 6 years. The researchers defined adrenal insufficiency as the need for hydrocortisone replacement therapy, and collected this information from patient records and laboratory results.

The duration of adrenal insufficiency was calculated as the interval between successful surgery and the completion of hydrocortisone replacement therapy. Cushing’s syndrome recurrence was defined as biochemical and clinical signs of hypercortisolism.

The researchers found a significant difference between Cushing’s syndrome subtypes in the likelihood of regaining adrenal function within 5 years of follow-up: The probability was 82% in ectopic Cushing’s syndrome, 58% in Cushing’s disease and 38% in adrenal Cushing’s syndrome (P=.001). Among the 52 participants who recovered adrenal function, the median type to recovery also differed between subtypes and was 0.6 years in ectopic Cushing’s syndrome, 1.4 years in Cushing’s disease and 2.5 years in adrenal Cushing’s syndrome (P=.002).

An association also was found between younger age and adrenal recovery in the Cushing’s disease participants (P=.012).

This association was independent of sex, BMI, symptom duration, basal adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol levels. No association was seen between adrenal recovery and length of hypercortisolism or postoperative glucocorticoid replacement dosage.

“It is the main finding of this series that the median duration of tertiary adrenal insufficiency was dependent on the etiology of [Cushing’s syndrome]: It was shortest in the ectopic [Cushing’s syndrome], intermediate in [Cushing’s disease] and longest in adrenal [Cushing’s syndrome] caused by unilateral cortisol producing adenoma,” the researchers wrote. “The significant difference to [Cushing’s disease] is an unexpected finding since by biochemical means cortisol excess is generally less severe in adrenal [Cushing’s syndrome]. If confirmed by others, our data have clinical impact for the follow-up of patients after curative surgery: Patients should be informed that adrenocortical function may remain impaired in benign conditions such as cortisol-producing adenoma.”

Disclosure: The study was funded in part by the Else Kröner-Fresenius Stiftung.

The original article is here: Healio

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How to avoid pitfalls in interpretation of adrenal imaging

Posted on January 21, 2026 by MaryO

By Philip Ward, AuntMinnieEurope.com staff writer

January 15, 2019 — A clear understanding of the pitfalls in the performance and interpretation of adrenal CT can help prevent incorrect and inappropriate investigations, award-winning researchers from a top London facility have found. It’s essential to keep aware of the full range of pseudolesions and mimics, they said.

“Evaluation of adrenal tumor function is limited on imaging, but may be inferred from imaging findings,” noted Dr. Gurinder Nandra and colleagues from the department of radiology at St. George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in an e-poster presentation that received a cum laude award at RSNA 2018 in Chicago.

Other adrenal pathology, including metastases and adrenocortical carcinoma, may be encountered, and this means it’s important to know about the imaging approaches to evaluate the adrenals, the authors pointed out.

Incidental adrenal nodules are identified in around 5% of patients who undergo CT. The prevalence of detecting incidentalomas increases with age, but most incidentally encountered adrenal pathology is benign and of little clinical relevance, they wrote. Adenomas are by far the most common adrenal pathology identified.

Among the technical aspects that deserve special attention are the following:

  • The region of interest (ROI): Changing the size of the ROI can alter the perceived attenuation of the nodule. The ROI should cover at least two-thirds of the circumference of the nodule, and exclude tiny areas of heterogeneity from the ROI (e.g., flecks of calcification) that are not representative of the adrenal pathology. Unenhanced attenuation of less than 10 Hounsfield units (HU) can be used to diagnose lipid-rich adrenal adenoma (sensitivity 71%, specificity of 98%).
  • Attenuation values on unenhanced CT: A homogenously dense lesion on unenhanced CT suggests a lack of microscopic lipid content. If attenuation on unenhanced CT is greater than 20 to 30 HU, evaluate the enhancement kinetics with CT.
  • Effect of kVp on attenuation values in a dual energy study: To use threshold of less than 10 HU to diagnose a lipid-rich adrenal adenoma, the kVp should be 120. Changing kVp can alter the attenuation values of soft tissues and adrenal glands.
  • Timing of post-contrast acquisitions: “Imaging needs to be performed at the correct times to allow sufficient time for enhancement and washout of contrast. Post-contrast images should be obtained at 60 to 75 seconds and 15 minutes,” the authors stated.
  • Assessment of washout on nondedicated studies: Relative washout can be calculated on nondedicated studies if more than one acquisition is made within 15 minutes post-intravenous contrast.
  • Suspicious attenuation: Attenuation of more than 43 HU on noncontrast CT is suspicious for malignancy, regardless of washout characteristics. PET/CT is of more use than CT and MRI in such cases, and adrenal hemorrhage also is a consideration at this attenuation.
  • Evaluation of small nodules: Minor nodularity of less than 1 cm in diameter does not require further radiological investigation. Also, CT evaluation of small adrenal nodules is limited by partial volume artifacts. MRI evaluation of small adrenal nodules is limited by the India ink artifact, or black boundary artifact, on an out-of-phase sequence. This artifact may give the impression of signal loss and lead to an incorrect diagnosis of a lipid-rich adenoma.
  • Evaluation of large adrenal masses: Malignancy risk increases with size (over 4 cm, 70%; over 6 cm, 85%) when excluding myelolipoma. In the absence of known malignancy, an adrenal lesion of less than 4 cm with indeterminate imaging features is likely to be benign.
  • Enhancement characteristics of metastases: Enhancement/washout characteristics of adrenal metastases are variable, and they can be confused with pheochromocytoma.
  • Adrenal calcification: Calcification is seen in benign adrenal pathology, but also can be seen in cases of malignancy, including adrenocortical carcinoma. “Look for ancillary features of malignancy including size, heterogeneity and invasion,” the authors recommended. “Evaluation of a predominantly calcified adrenal lesion will be limited with chemical shift MRI.”
  • Heterogeneous signal loss: Heterogeneous signal loss is not typical for a small lipid-rich adenoma and raises the possibility of malignant pathology. It also can be seen in larger adenomas because of calcification/cystic change/myelolipomatous metaplasia.

In their RSNA 2018 exhibit, Nandra and colleagues also identified the following list of mimics that can crop up:

  • Mimics arising from gastrointestinal tract: Gastric pathology can extend into the left suprarenal space and mimic adrenal pathology. The most common mimics include gastrointestinal stromal tumors and gastric diverticula. Pathology elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract can mimic adrenal pathology (e.g., a fluid-filled colon).
  • Mimics arising from solid viscera: Pathology from the spleen, pancreas, liver, and kidneys can extend into the suprarenal space and mimic adrenal pathology. This includes splenic lobulation, splenunculi, upper pole renal pathology, pancreatic tail pathology, and exophytic hepatic lesions.
  • Mimics arising from vessels: Dilated, tortuous, or aneurysmal vessels may extend into the suprarenal space and mimic adrenal pathology. The most common mimics include splenic varices and splenic artery pseudoaneurysms.
  • Mimics arising from retroperitoneal tissues: Various retroperitoneal lesions can extend into the suprarenal space and mimic adrenal pathology, and normal anatomy in the retroperitoneum also can mimic adrenal pathology (e.g., a thickened diaphragmatic crus).

From https://www.auntminnieeurope.com/index.aspx?sec=ser&sub=def&pag=dis&ItemID=616803

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Cushing’s Syndrome Etiology Affects Adrenal Function Recovery

Posted on January 21, 2026 by MaryO
Abstract
Context:
Successful tumor resection in endogenous Cushing’s syndrome (CS) results in tertiary adrenal insufficiency requiring hydrocortisone replacement therapy.
Objective:

The aim was to analyze the postsurgical duration of adrenal insufficiency of patients with Cushing’s disease (CD), adrenal CS and ectopic CS.

Design:

We performed a retrospective analysis based on the case records of 230 CS patients in our tertiary referral center treated from 1983 to 2014. The mean follow-up time was 8 years.

Patients:
We included 91 patients of the three subtypes of CS undergoing curative intended surgery and documented follow-up after excluding cases with persistent disease, pituitary radiation, concurrent adrenostatic or somatostatin analogue treatment, and malignant adrenal disease.
Results:

The probability of recovering adrenal function within a 5 years follow-up differed significantly between subtypes (p=0.001). It was 82 % in ectopic CS, 58 % in Cushing’s disease and 38 % in adrenal CS. In the total cohort with restored adrenal function (n=52) the median time to recovery differed between subtypes: 0.6 (IQR 0.03–1.1) years in ectopic CS, 1.4 (IQR 0.9–3.4) years in CD, and 2.5 (IQR 1.6–5.4) years in adrenal CS (p=0.002). In CD the Cox proportional-hazards model showed that the probability of recovery was associated with younger age (hazard ratio 0.896, 95% CI 0.822–0.976, p=0.012), independently of sex, BMI, duration of symptoms, and basal ACTH and cortisol levels. There was no correlation with length and extend of hypercortisolism or postoperative glucocorticoid replacement doses.

Conclusions:

Time to recovery of adrenal function is dependent on the underlying etiology of CS.

Affiliations
  • 1Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany;
  • 2Institut für Klinische Radiologie, Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany;
  • 3Chirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik – Innenstadt, Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany;
  • 4Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany;
  • 5IMSE, Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU München, München, Germany

From http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jc.2014-3632

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