Andrea Lobo,  —

A Phase 4 clinical trial will assess the prevalence of excessive cortisol, or hypercortisolism, in people with difficult-to-treat type 2 diabetes, and the effectiveness of Korlym (mifepristone) in lowering cortisol levels, Corcept Therapeutics announced. The two-part, placebo-controlled CATALYST (NCT05772169) study is expected to enroll up to…

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was diagnosed with Cushing’s caused by advanced adrenal gland cancer, a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis, scientists reported. Her case highlights the difficulties in diagnosing and treating such tumors, particularly during pregnancy, when hormonal changes can camouflage its symptoms. “It is reported that benign and malignant…

The risk of consuming supplements was recently highlighted in a case of a woman with Cushing’s syndrome caused by prolonged use of an over-the-counter arthritis product containing a glucocorticoid. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with Cushing’s based on her typical disease features together with her long exposure to the…

A recent case of a man with Cushing’s disease illustrates a rare psychiatric manifestation of the disease — symptoms of functional neurological disorder (FND), according to a report. FND is where patients experience a series of neurological symptoms in the absence of a neurological disorder. “To our knowledge, this…

A 33-year-old man with ectopic Cushing’s syndrome saw his symptoms ease after undergoing surgery to remove a rare, slow-growing cancer tumor from his chest. The carcinoid tumor, a type of neuroendocrine tumor, was the cause of the man’s condition, according to researchers. “The patient had complete resolution of symptoms…

“Mini pituitary tumors” derived from patients, including those with Cushing’s disease, mimic several features of the individual’s tumor, including response to treatments, a study shows. These pituitary tumor-like organoids can serve as models for studies of the underlying molecular mechanisms of Cushing’s disease and to screen for the most…

Pneumocystis pneumonia, a serious infectious complication of Cushing’s syndrome, is associated with a high mortality rate, researchers in France report. The onset of infection tends to occur shortly after beginning therapy to reduce cortisol levels, and is more frequent in patients with cancer-related Cushing’s and/or high levels of cortisol.

A 71-year-old woman with ectopic Cushing’s syndrome saw her clinical symptoms ease after undergoing surgery to remove several nodules from her left lung. One nodule removed was a carcinoid tumor producing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), while another was due to a lung infection caused by the fungus Cryptococcus. Her infection was associated with immunodeficiency…

Ketoconazole can effectively control high cortisol levels in most patients with active Cushing’s disease for whom surgery is not an effective option, researchers in Brazil report. It “proved to be an effective and safe alternative for [Cushing’s disease] treatment” for 66% of patients at an outpatient clinic of a…

A 71-year-old man diagnosed with ectopic Cushing’s syndrome was cured of the rare disorder after having both adrenal glands subjected to microwave ablation — a minimally-invasive procedure that uses electromagnetic energy to generate heat and destroy a small portion of tissue. The procedure immediately worked to lower the man’s elevated…