Call for Papers: Cushing’s Syndrome: New Evidence and Future Challenges

Posted on November 13, 2014 by MaryO

Call for Papers

Cushing’s syndrome is a rare and potentially lethal disease which still represents a challenge for the endocrinologists, being characterized by elevated morbidity even long-term after the remission of hypercortisolism. Several diagnostic issues prevent an early recognition of the disease and rate of recurrence is significantly high after surgical, medical, or radiotherapy management.

Recent advances of biology and medicine are improving our knowledge on genetics and pathophysiology of this disease, both at the pituitary and adrenal level. New therapeutic agents are currently under investigation and an impelling need for efficacy and safety studies is rising in the endocrinology community. At the same time, the role of the “old” agents in the clinical practice is under debate and deserves a thorough analysis on larger series than those currently available. Likewise, the need for specific treatment of comorbidities is a clinical question which still remains unsolved.

We invite authors to submit original research and review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand the molecular pathology underlying Cushing’s syndrome, the development of strategies to diagnose and treat this condition in adults and children, and the evaluation of outcomes.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Advances in genetics of Cushing’s syndrome
  • Diagnostic issues in Cushing’s syndrome
  • Novel paradigms for treatment of Cushing’s syndrome
  • Role of the “old” pharmacological agents in the treatment of Cushing’s syndrome
  • Persistent increased mortality and morbidity after “cure” of Cushing’s syndrome
  • Role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of Cushing’s syndrome
  • Cushing’s syndrome as model of metabolic derangements
  • Challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of paediatric Cushing’s syndrome
Manuscript Due Friday, 8 May 2015
First Round of Reviews Friday, 31 July 2015
Publication Date Friday, 25 September 2015

Lead Guest Editor

  • Elena Valassi, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Guest Editors

From http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ije/si/156126/cfp/

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EU Looks to Okay Ketoconazole for Use in Cushing’s Syndrome

Posted on September 27, 2014 by MaryO

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended granting a marketing authorization for ketoconazole (Ketoconazole HRA; Laboratoire HRA Pharma) for the treatment of Cushing’s syndrome, a rare hormonal disorder sometimes called hypercortisolism.

Cushing’s syndrome is characterized by an excess of the hormone cortisol in the blood, which may be caused by a tumor. Treatment options currently available in the European Union include surgery to remove the tumor responsible for the high cortisol levels and radiotherapy, as well as several medicines that reduce the production of cortisol.

But pharmacological options remain very limited, and there is an unmet medical need for additional treatments, especially when surgery fails or for patients who cannot undergo surgery or take other medications. For this reason, the EMA’s CHMP evaluated the medicine under expedited review.

The opinion adopted by the CHMP at its September 2014 meeting is an intermediary step on Ketoconazole HRA’s path to patient access.

The CHMP opinion will now be sent to the European Commission for the adoption of a decision on an EU-wide marketing authorization. Once a marketing authorization has been granted, decisions about price and reimbursement will then take place at the level of each member state considering the potential role/use of this medicine in the context of the national health system of that country.

The recommendation is that Ketoconazole HRA is to be prescribed only by physicians specialized in treating Cushing’s syndrome, as the dosing needs to be individualized for each patient.

This is because oral ketoconazole was previously suspended in the European Union for the indication it was first approved for, fungal infections, due to risk for liver injury. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also decreed, at the same time, that doctors should no longer prescribe ketoconazole tablets as a first-line therapy for any fungal infection, for the same reason.

Information will be sent to healthcare professionals to allow them to advise patients and prescribe the medicine safely and effectively.

A Medicine Used Off-Label for More than 30 Years

Doctors have used ketoconazole to treat Cushing’s syndrome for more than 30 years, although it has never been authorized for this indication in the European Union. The drug is also frequently used off-label in the United States and elsewhere for this purpose.

The CHMP’s recommendation builds on information from published literature and documented off-label use in clinical practice.

At the time of the suspension of ketoconazole for fungal infections, healthcare professionals and patients were concerned that ketoconazole would no longer be available for patients with Cushing’s syndrome.

The CHMP therefore reviewed Ketoconazole HRA through accelerated assessment to facilitate patients’ access to a fully authorized medicine as soon as possible with evidence-based information for patients and doctors.

When assessing Ketoconazole HRA for the treatment of Cushing’s syndrome, the CHMP considered that “in this rare and potentially life-threatening condition, the medicine’s benefits are greater than its risks, which can be manageable in clinical practice by specific measures mitigating the risk of liver toxicity, including close monitoring of the patients’ liver function.”

In 2012, it was estimated that the disease affected approximately 46,000 people in the European Union. Cushing’s syndrome is a long-lasting condition that can be life-threatening because of its complications, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression.

From http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832399?src=rss

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Etomidate drip quickly curbs severe hypercortisolism

Posted on August 1, 2014 by MaryO

By: BRUCE JANCIN, Clinical Endocrinology News Digital Network

JULY 31, 2014

AT ICE/ENDO 2014

VITALS  Key clinical point: The anesthetic induction agent etomidate is a potent suppressor of cortisol synthesis in the adrenal cortex at subhypnotic doses, making it a safe and effective agent for management of severe hypercortisolism in Cushing’s syndrome.

Major finding: Continuous infusion of etomidate using a standardized protocol resulted in a reduction in serum cortisol from a mean of 138 mcg/dL to a goal range of 10-20 mcg/dL in an average of 64 hours.

Data source: This was a retrospective case series involving six patients with severe hypercortisolism caused by adrenocorticotropic hormone–dependent Cushing’s syndrome.

Disclosures: The study was carried out with institutional funds. The presenter reported having no financial conflicts.

Continuous intravenous infusion of etomidate safely and swiftly gains control of severe hypercortisolism in patients with adrenocorticotropic hormone–dependent Cushing’s syndrome when conventional presurgical oral treatment is problematic.

“From our cumulative experience, we have now developed a standardized titrated etomidate infusion protocol, which should provide clinicians with a simple, safe, and effective means to lower serum cortisol in patients with severe clinical, metabolic, and neuropsychiatric consequences of prodigious hypercortisolism as a bridge to definitive medical or surgical therapy,” explained Dr. Katarzyna G. Zarnecki at the joint meeting of the International Congress of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society.

Etomidate (Amidate) is a sedative hypnotic agent with an excellent cardiovascular safety profile. It is widely used in emergency settings, such as reduction of dislocated joints and cardioversion. It suppresses adrenal steroidogenesis by potently inhibiting 11-beta hydroxylase. Fortunately for endocrinologic purposes, etomidate suppresses cortisol synthesis even at subhypnotic doses. In using it off label for management of severe hypercortisolism, it’s essential to keep the drug at subhypnotic doses, meaning not more than 0.3 mg/kg per hour, emphasized Dr. Zarnecki of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Dr. Zarnecki and her coworkers utilize as their standard etomidate infusion protocol an initial 5-mg bolus followed by an infusion at 0.02 mg/kg per hour, with dose titration in increments of 0.01-0.02 mg/kg per hour every 4-6 hours based on changes in serum cortisol level. The goal is to bring the cortisol down to a target range of 10-20 mcg/dL.

She presented an illustrative six-patient series in which she and her colleagues turned to continuous infusion of etomidate because conventional oral therapy would have taken too long to rein in the severe hypercortisolism or because medication side effects were intolerable.

Mean baseline pretreatment serum cortisol was 138 mcg/dL, with an adrenocorticotropic hormone level of 419 pg/mL. Five of the six patients reached the goal of 10-20 mcg/dL in an average time of 64 hours. The mean rate of serum cortisol reduction was 1.93 mcg/dL per hour. The average etomidate infusion rate at the time the target level was reached was 0.07 mg/kg per hour, with a maximum rate of 0.1 mg/kg per hour. Monitoring via the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale confirmed that none of the patients experienced sedative effects.

In the sole patient who didn’t reach goal, etomidate therapy was suspended because the patient entered palliative care because of extensive tumor progression.

Dr. Zarnecki reported having no financial conflicts of interest.

From Clinical Endocrinology News

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Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome and cardiovascular disease

Posted on May 2, 2014 by MaryO
Panagiotis Anagnostis a cEmail Address, Spyridon N Karras b, Vasilios G Athyros c, Dimitri P Mikhailidis d, Asterios Karagiannis c
Guido Di Dalmazi and colleagues1 reported that in patients with adrenal incidentalomas and either stable mild hypercortisolism or worsening of cortisol hypersecretion, all-cause and cardiovascular disease-specific mortality was higher compared with in those with adrenal incidentalomas that did not secrete cortisol, after a mean follow-up of 7·5 years. Moreover, cortisol concentrations measured after dexamethasone-suppression test were associated with all-cause mortality independent of the presence of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome is the most common hormonal abnormality in patients with adrenal incidentalomas (prevalence 1—29%).2 The proportion of adrenal incidentalomas that progress to subclinical Cushing’s syndrome is low (1·7%) and most are lesions of 3 cm or larger.2 Progression to overt Cushing’s syndrome is controversial (because both spontaneous normalisation of hypersecretion and stable disease have been reported during follow-up) and spontaneous normalisation of hypersecretion has been reported in 50% of cases.2 Results of the study by Di Dalmazi and co-workers1 are important because they show, for the first time, that patients with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality (mainly attributable to cardiovascular disease). The association of cortisol with all-cause mortality might also be attributable to its potential role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome.3
Findings of previous studies have shown an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in patients with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome, but data for optimum management are conflicting. Some criteria—such as large (>4—6 cm) adrenal incidentalomas, features suggestive of malignancy (eg, heterogeneity, irregular shape, calcification or necrosis, invasion to adjacent tissues), or potentially lethal hormonal hypersecretion (ie, pheochromocytomas)—support the need for adrenalectomy. However, universal surgical management of patients with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome has not been accepted.2, 4 Uncertainty about the most effective management strategy for subclinical Cushing’s syndrome is attributable to the variable definitions used, and the small sample size and retrospective nature of most studies.4 Only one prospective study has been published so far showing that laparoscopic adrenalectomy is more beneficial than is conservative management for the normalisation or improvement of cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and obesity.5
Prospective studies and registries are needed to document the effect of different approaches on the incidence of cardiovascular disease events and mortality in patients with adrenal incidentalomas and subclinical Cushing’s syndrome. Until then, individualised treatment seems prudent. Surgical management of subclinical Cushing’s syndrome can be suggested in young patients (age <50 years) and in those with cardiovascular disease risk factors or bone disease associated with hypercortisolism that are of recent onset, difficult to control with drugs, or show progression over time.4
Another message from Di Dalmazi’s study1 is that hormonal deterioration might develop even after 4—5 years, which most studies reported as a reasonable and safe follow-up.2 This possibility should be kept in mind for the management of patients with adrenal incidentalomas, especially if clinical signs of Cushing’s syndrome develop or if cardiovascular disease risk factors become evident or increase in severity (ie, hormonal hypersecretion).
We declare that we have no competing interests.

References

1 Di Dalmazi G, Vicennati V, Garelli S, et al. Cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with adrenal incidentalomas that are either non-secreting or associated with intermediate phenotype or subclinical Cushing’s syndrome: a 15-year retrospective study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2014. published online Jan 29 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(13)70211-0.
2 Anagnostis P, Karagiannis A, Tziomalos K, Kakafika AI, Athyros VG, Mikhailidis DP. Adrenal incidentaloma: a diagnostic challenge. Hormones (Athens) 2009; 8: 163-184. PubMed
3 Anagnostis P, Athyros VG, Tziomalos K, Karagiannis A, Mikhailidis DP. Clinical review: The pathogenetic role of cortisol in the metabolic syndrome: a hypothesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:2692-2701. PubMed
4 Terzolo M, Pia A, Reimondo G. Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome: definition and management. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2012; 76: 12-18. PubMed
5 Toniato A, Merante-Boschin I, Opocher G, Pelizzo MR, Schiavi F, Ballotta E. Surgical versus conservative management for subclinical Cushing syndrome in adrenal incidentalomas: a prospective randomized study. Ann Surg 2009; 249: 388-391. PubMed
a Division of Endocrinology, Police Medical Centre, Thessaloniki, 54 640, Greece
b Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Agios Pavlos General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
c Second Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
d Department of Clinical Biochemistry (Vascular Prevention Clinic) Royal Free Hospital Campus, University College London Medical School, University College London, London, UK

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Salivary cortisol performs better than urinary free cortisol to diagnose Cushing’s syndrome

Posted on March 25, 2014 by MaryO

Late-night salivary cortisol has a better performance than urinary free cortisol in the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome.

Salimetrics highlights a recent study:  Abstract

Context: The comparison of variability, reproducibility, and diagnostic performance of late-night salivary cortisol (LNSF) and urinary free cortisol (UFC) using concurrent and consecutive samples in Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is lacking.

Objectives, Patients and Methods: In a prospective study, we evaluate three simultaneous and consecutive samples of LNSF by RIA and UFC by LC-MS/MS in Cushing’s disease (CD; n=43), adrenal CS patients (n=9) and obese subjects (n=18) in order to compare their diagnostic performances. In CS patients we also performed a modified Cushing’s syndrome severity index (CSI).

Results: There was no difference in the coefficient of variation (%) between LNSF and UFC among the three samples obtained for each patient with CD (35±26vs31±24), adrenal CS (28±14vs22±14) and obesity (39±37vs48±20). LNSF confirmed the diagnosis of hypercortisolism even in the presence of normal UFC in 17.3% of CS, whereas the inverse situation was not observed for UFC. The area under the ROC curves for LNSF was 0.999 (95%CI 0.990-1.00) and for UFC was 0.928 (95%CI 0.809- 0.987). The ratio between AUCs was 0.928 (95%CI 0.810-0.988) indicating better performance of LNSF than UFC in diagnosing CS. There was no association between the severity of CSI and the degree of biochemical hypercortisolism.

Conclusion: Our data show that despite similar variability between both methods, LNSF has a superior diagnostic performance than UFC and should be used as the primary biochemical diagnostic test for Cushing’s syndrome diagnosis.

Authors Elias P, Martinez E, Barone B, Mermejo L, Castro M, Moreira A
Division of Endocrinology-Department of Medicine and Division of Statistics- Department of Social Medicine, Ribeirao Preto Medical School – University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP- Brazil
LINK to Paper
Salimetrics guide to Cortisol
LINK to Salimetrics Diagnostic Salivary Cortisol Assay

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