Brigham & Womens Hospital’s Pituitary Day 2014

Posted on November 8, 2013 by MaryO

BWH_Pit_Day

In partnership with the Brain Science Foundation, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Pituitary Neuroendocrine Center is pleased to present

Pituitary Day 2014

Saturday, March 29, 2013
8 AM – 5 PM
Bornstein Amphitheater
at Brigham & Women’s Hospital
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA

This conference is intended to unite patients, caregivers, family and friends with leading clinicians, researchers, nurses, and other experts to discuss the latest in pituitary diagnosis and treatment. All patients, caregivers, family and friends are welcome!

For more information, please visit brainsciencefoundation.org or call Sarah Donnelly at 781-239-2903.

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Webinar: Advances and Limitations of Endoscopic Pituitary Surgery

Posted on November 8, 2013 by MaryO

Presented by Paul Gardner, MD

Check back with us for registration information or contact us at webinar@pituitary.org.

Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 AM PST

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

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November 15 Webinar: “Pituitary Disorders and the Family”

Posted on November 6, 2013 by MaryO

Webinar: “Pituitary Disorders and the Family”
Presented by Jamie L. Banker, Ph.D., Director of Counseling Psychology California Lutheran University
Date: Friday, November 15, 2013
Time: 12:00-1:00 PM PDT 

Seating is limited, register today!
https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/127537863?utm_source=newsletter_45&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=webinar-announcement-pituitary-disorders-and-the-family

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
Webinar Information
Chronic illness systemically affects individuals and families, in that the illness impacts the whole system, rather than just the individual with the diagnosis. Health problems can create or exacerbate conflict within a family or support system (Ruddy, Borresen, & Gunn, 2008). This is also the case within families with a family member with an endocrine disorder.

Historically, research on medical illness focused mainly on the identified medical patient, but recent literature shows an ever-growing interest in understanding the physical and mental toll those managing and caring for close relatives with a serious illness or disability (Feigin, Barnetz, & Davidson-Arad, 2008). Family systems theories have influenced this turn, as it becomes clear that focusing on a problem with one family member acknowledges only one part of the affected system.

In this presentation Dr. Banker will talk about what is meant by the “family system,” what is meant by “collaborative’ and “integrated” care, Dr. Banker will identify ways pituitary disorders impact the family system, She will discuss ways family members can positively impact healing and learn what can be the role of a “family therapist” in helping families affected by a pituitary tumor or other endocrine disorder.

Dr. Banker will also talk about her most recent research connecting the early childhood trauma and pituitary disorders.

Learning Objectives
▪ Learn about the primary effects of chronic and/or serious illness on the family
▪ Learn what is meant by the “family system”
▪ Learn what is meant by “collaborative’ and “integrated” care
▪ Identify ways pituitary disorders impact the family system
▪ Learn ways family members can positively impact healing
▪ Learn what can be the role of a “family therapist” in helping families affected by a pituitary tumor or other endocrine disorder

Presenter Bio
Jamie Banker is the Director of Counseling Psychology Masters program and Assistant Professor of Psychology at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks California. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has a special interest in integrated behavioral healthcare. She completed a clinical master’s degree at University of San Diego and completed her doctoral degree at Virginia Tech. Dr. Banker was a doctoral intern at Dartmouth College Family Medicine Residency. Dr. Banker has worked in three integrated primary care practices as a therapist and a lecturer. She has published scholarly articles and a few book chapter on integrated healthcare. Now her focus is on training Marriage and Family Therapy students to work in integrated behavioral healthcare sites. She is an AAMFT approved clinical supervisor. Dr. Banker’s research agenda centers on women’s and family’s health. It encompasses topics that are both underserved and burgeoning in the fields of psychology, marriage and family therapy, behavioral medicine, and public health. Dr. Banker’s primary research interests are collaboration between family therapists and medical professionals, family health and training integrated care professionals. These interests all fall under the larger umbrella of improving individuals’ overall healthcare. Her research agenda is focused on decreasing the gap between medical and mental health assessment and treatment. Dr. Banker’s current research is on understanding postpartum depression and disorders of the endocrine system from a biopsychosocial model.

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Remaining calm = Reducing illness

Posted on October 9, 2013 by MaryO

Have you ever noticed that when you are “stressed” you can feel either emotionally/physically depleted or energized?  When our body is under stress the brain responds by producing epheniphrine or adrenaline, sending signals to our adrenal glands, increasing the rate at which our heart beats while releasing oxygen to our muscles.  The long term response to this process produces cortisol (aka the stress hormone) facilitating the release of energy throughout our body.  However, when our body isn’t properly balanced these hormones can wreak havoc on our wellness possibly resulting in one of three conditions:  Cushing’s syndrome, Cushing’s disease or Addison’s disease.

adrenal-glandsThe actual Adrenal glands sit physically atop both kidneys, taking on a triangular shape and a roundish rectangular type shape.  These glands are responsible for our sex hormones and cortisol, helping us respond to stress amongst other functions.  When our body is under stress, physically and/or nutritionally, it responds one of two ways:  Produces too much or too little of the cortisol hormone.  Our Adrenal glands also contribute to regulating our blood sugar, blood pressure, salt and water.

Adrenal disorders can cause our body to make too much or not enough of these hormones, bringing about adrenal gland related syndromes and disease.  Cushing’s syndrome results from our body making too much versus Addison’s disease produces too little.

Cushing’s syndrome vs. Cushing’s disease

Glucocorticoids (naturally produced in our body or received through medicine) are groups of corticosteroids (cortisol or dexamethasone) involved in metabolizing our carbohydrate and protein.  When taken synthetically (i.e. treatment of allergies, skin problems, and respiratory problems) or over-produced naturally, the side effects can result in “Cushing’s syndrome”.

Cushing’s syndrome can occur one of two ways:  Endogenous or Exogenous.  Endogenous is caused by the body (usually through tumors).  Exogenous is caused by medication.  In both cases, the body produces too much cortisol.

Symptoms: Severe fatigue/muscle weakness, high blood sugar and high blood pressure, upper body obesity, thin arms/legs, bruising easily

Treatment:  The cure and treatment for Cushing’s disease can come through medicine, surgery, or by lowering the dosage of your current synthetic hormone treatment.  Cushing’s syndrome can be cured.

Cushing’s disease is the most common form of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome and is likely treatable.  Caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland secreting too much Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), this type of tumor does not spread and can be removed through surgery.

Nutrition:  See a nutritionist or dietician for your condition.  Mostly, avoid excess sodium.  High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and high blood pressure can easily occur with this condition.  Bone loss density is common with this condition, so be extra aware of your calcium (800 – 1200 mg per day, based upon age) and Vitamin D intake (5mcg from age 0-50, increasing up to 10 mcg 50-71, and 15 mcg after 71).  Eating healthy, balanced and whole food (versus processed) is extremely important.

(Resource:  http://www.aboutcushings.com/understanding-cushings-disease/causes-and-differences.jsp)

Addison’s disease

Opposite from Cushing’s syndrome, Addison’s disease doesn’t make “enough” of the sex hormones and cortisol.  The result of this disease causes our immune system to attack our tissue, damaging our adrenal glands.

Symptoms:  Weight loss, muscle weakness, increasingly worse fatigue, low blood pressure and patchy or dark skin.

Treatment:  If left untreated, the condition can be fatal.  Lifetime hormone treatment is usually required. Addison disease patients should always carry medical/emergency ID on them, listing their medication, dosage and disease

Lab tests can confirm that you have Addison’s disease. If you don’t treat it, it can be fatal. You will need to take hormone pills for the rest of your life. If you have Addison’s disease, you should carry an emergency ID. It should say that you have the disease, list your medicines and say how much you need in an emergency.”

(Ref: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cushingssyndrome.html, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Learning how to balance our stress-filled lives is extremely important to our overall health.  Healthy nutrition always contributes benefits to our overall wellness.  We can overwhelm our endocrine system by simply not eating nutritionally.  Understanding that “Food is a drug” is vitally important to how we help our body naturally heal itself.  The above two conditions are the result of our body not handling the stress we are putting it through, causing our body to producing too much or too little of the sex hormones and cortisol.

Unless we first address what we can do naturally through nutrition, the medicine we consume will only do so much in helping our body heal completely.  You simply cannot continue doing the same thing over and over again, expecting the medicine to do all the work.  Some diseases are brought upon us through our environment (emotionally as well as physically) as well as our diet/nutrition.  Reviewing our entire wellness is always wisdom whenever we’re diagnosed with anything.

Certainly listen to your doctor and their advice.  But also ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist or clinical/registered dietician for a complete evaluation that includes a review of your nutritional diet/wellness.  Too often we reach for a pill or a procedure to “fix” our health problems, ignoring what we should be doing on our own to help our body heal.  Medical intervention is the result of providing our body with what it cannot produce on its own.  Nutrition should always be the “natural” medicine we take, as well as what we might need through prescribed medication.

Adapted from (Spelling errors corrected) http://hamptonroads.com/2013/10/remaining-calm-reducing-illness

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No High-Quality Studies for Cushing’s Drugs

Posted on October 4, 2013 by MaryO

By Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today

Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner

There is a paucity of clinical trial data supporting the efficacy of most drugs used to treat Cushing’s disease, researchers reported.

Just one drug — pasireotide — has been evaluated in a randomized, double-blind trial, but even it was judged by the researchers to have only a ‘moderate’ level of evidence supporting its effectiveness and safety.

The review of the literature evaluating drug treatments for Cushing’s disease, a rare pituitary disorder, is the first to employ a rigorous systematic approach with strict, predefined inclusion criteria and formal analysis of the quality of evidence using an established standard, researcher Monica Gadelha, MD, PhD, of Brazil’s Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and colleagues wrote in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.

“This systematic review indicates that the majority of medical therapies currently used in the treatment of Cushing’s disease are supported by a low level of evidence,” the researchers wrote. “Further well-designed prospective studies of medications in Cushing’s disease would help to inform clinical practice further.”

Cushing’s disease is the most common form of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome, a hormonal disorder resulting from persistent exposure to abnormally high levels of the hormone cortisol. In the case of Cushing’s disease, the cortisol is secreted by a pituitary adenoma.

Prolonged exposure to high levels of cortisol raises the risk for diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and nephrolithiasis. Patients with persistent Cushing’s disease have a 3- to 5-fold higher mortality than the general population.

Surgery to remove the pituitary adenoma is the first-line treatment for Cushing’s disease in the U.S., and when the procedure is performed by an experienced surgeon, remission rates in patients with smaller tumors range from 65% to 90%. The long-term remission rate is lower, however, because many patients develop recurrent disease.

Several medical therapies are widely used to treat patients who are not candidates for surgery or who experience relapse following surgery.

Novartis Oncology’s somatostatin analog drug pasireotide (Signifor) became the only drug approved for this indication in December of last year. And the progesterone-blocking drug mifepristone, best known as the abortion pill once called RU-486, was approved in February of 2012 for the treatment of Cushing’s disease-associated hyperglycemia.

Other drugs — including metyrapone, mitotane, cabergoline, and ketoconazole — are also used off-label in the treatment of Cushing’s, and several have shown better response rates than pasireotide in small studies.

In their systematic review, Gadelha and colleagues identified 15 studies that included at least 10 adults with Cushing’s disease and reported treatment responses as the proportion of patients reaching a specified definition of response. Studies examining combinations of medications were excluded from the analysis, as were studies with indefinite diagnoses of Cushing’s disease.

For medications other than mifepristone, studies had to report the proportion of patients with normalized urinary free cortisol (UFC), midnight salivary cortisol or midnight serum cortisol.

The studies were scored according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system for rating quality of evidence.

Ten of the 15 included studies reported outcomes specifically for patients with Cushing’s disease and the remaining five included patients with other forms of Cushing’s syndrome.

The researchers reported that:

  • Pasireotide was the only treatment assessed in a randomized trial, and it was judged to have a ‘moderate’ level of evidence supporting its use. Response rates from three prospective studies of the drug ranged from 17% to 29%.
  • The remaining medications were supported by a ‘low’ or ‘very low’ level of evidence.
  • The highest response rates were reported in a small retrospective studies of metyrapone (75%, one study) and mitotane (72%, one study).
  • Response rates were 25% to 50% for cabergoline (four studies) and 45% for ketoconazole (one study).
  • Among studies that included patients with other forms of Cushing’s syndrome, response rates were 53% to 88% for ketoconazole (three studies), 70% for mitotane (one study), 57% for metyrapone (one study), and 38% to 60% for mifepristone (one study).

 

But the researchers urged caution in comparing the drugs, citing the variability in the study designs and patient selection endpoints, among other limitations in the research literature.

“The wide variation in the time-frames over which response to treatment was measured makes comparison a challenge,” they wrote. “Comparison of response rates reported in the included studies is also complicated by the variation in methodology used to assess response.”

They noted that well-designed clinical trials are needed to determine which drugs or drug combinations are most effective in the treatment of Cushing’s disease patients.

“Combinations of medical therapies with different modes of action might aid in optimizing the balance of efficacy and safety,” they wrote. “Investigational medications, such as bexarotene, LC1699 and retinoic acid, may help to expand the range of future therapeutic options.”

Maria Fleseriu, MD, who was not involved in the review, agreed that more drug treatments are needed. But she added that Cushing’s patients today have many more drug options than they did just a few years ago.

Fleseriu directs the Pituitary Center at Oregon Health & Science University, where she is an associate professor of medicine and endocrinology.

In a recently published analysis, Fleseriu wrote that pituitary-targeted medical therapies should soon play a more prominent role in treating Cushing’s disease, and may become first-line treatments when surgery fails or is contraindicated.

“We now have one drug approved for Cushing’s and another approved for diabetes symptoms associated with the disease,” she told MedPage Today. “We are moving forward, but we are not where we would like to be. Combination therapy is probably where we are heading, but further studies are needed.”

Financial support for this research was provided by Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Researcher Monica Gadelha reports receiving speaker fees and participating on advisory boards for Novartis. Gadelha and co-author Leonardo Vieira Neto were investigators in Novartis’ clinical trials of pasireotide.

 

From http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/42043

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