Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

Transsphenoidal surgery (TSS), a minimally invasive surgery to remove tumors from the brain’s pituitary gland, was deemed safe and effective to treat Cushing’s disease in a 67-year-old woman, as described in a recent case report. While TSS is usually avoided in older patients due to a higher risk of…

The size of pituitary tumors that cause Cushing’s disease do not affect the levels of cortisol or clinical features in patients, a study suggests. The tumor’s ability to invade other brain tissues, however, likely impacts the chances of tumor removal and disease remission, researchers noted. The study, “Clinical…

A 37-year-old woman developed Cushing’s syndrome due to the rare simultaneous presence of tumors in the pituitary and adrenal glands, according to a recent case report. In these cases, “an accurate clinical, physical and endocrine examination is always recommended,” the researchers wrote. The case report, “Simultaneous pituitary and adrenal…

Even with biochemical remission — having normal biochemical markers for liver inflammation — patients with Cushing’s disease have a two times higher risk of mortality compared with people without the disorder, a Swedish study found. Cardiovascular diseases and infections were the main causes of death, highlighting the importance of close…

Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome may be a risk factor for developing central serous chorioretinopathy, an eye disorder wherein fluid accumulates at the back of the eye, according to a recent case report. The report, “Association of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome,” was published in the American…

People with active Cushing’s disease have a smaller volume of gray matter — the outer layer of the brain extending into the spinal cord, where most nerve and other cells are found — and an unusual distribution of iron in the brain, a study reported. Importantly, abnormal iron redistribution…

When symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome return after adrenal cancer surgery, this may indicate that tumor cells have spread to other locations, a case report suggests. The report, “Functioning metastasis from adrenocortical carcinoma,” was published in the journal BMJ Case Reports. Malignant tumors in the adrenal glands —…

A generalized skin infection due to Mycobacterium chelonae — a rapidly growing type of bacteria — may be a manifestation of an impaired immune system due to Cushing’s disease linked to high cortisol hormone levels caused by an ACTH-producing tumor, a case report shows. The case highlights the need…

A combination of two easily performed tests reached 100% accuracy for diagnosing Cushing’s disease in people with an initial negative result from an MRI scan, or who had a a small tumor in their brain’s pituitary gland, a study reports. The study, “Indication to dynamic and…

Cushing’s syndrome may develop in people with advanced medullary thyroid cancer and is associated with a poor prognosis, a retrospective analysis suggests. Severely low levels of potassium in the blood, muscle weakness, and/or diabetes in medullary thyroid cancer patients are signs of ectopic Cushing’s. The case-series study, titled “…