News

Bleeding in Pituitary May Complicate Diagnosis of Cushing’s Disease

Children and adolescents with Cushing’s disease who have subclinical bleeding near their disease-driving tumors may respond differently to tests used to diagnose the disease, compared with patients without this bleeding, according to a new study. These differences may complicate the diagnostic workup of these patients and “should be incorporated…

New Data Support Long-term Efficacy, Safety of Isturisa

Treatment with Isturisa (osilodrostat) normalized urine cortisol levels up to nearly 1.5 years in people with Cushing’s disease, according to data from the Phase 3 LINC-4 clinical trial. Data from another Phase 3 trial, LINC-3 (NCT02180217), showed that testosterone levels were generally stable among Cushing’s patients treated with…

Bilateral Adrenalectomy Riskier Than Unilateral, Study Says

A bilateral adrenalectomy — a surgery to remove both adrenal glands — to lower cortisol levels in patients with Cushing’s syndrome was associated with more severe post-surgery complications and a higher mortality rate, compared with unilateral adrenalectomy, a study has found. “If indicated, bilateral adrenalectomy is a feasible option for…

Abdominal Obesity May Be Due to Tissue Response to High Cortisol

The levels of an enzyme that activates glucocorticoids, including cortisol, from their inactive forms, are increased in abdominal fat tissue — abdominal obesity is a hallmark of Cushing’s syndrome — in two mouse models of glucocorticoid excess. Importantly, the enzyme, called 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (HSD-1), also was found…

Urinary Cortisol Not Ideal Cushing’s Biomarker, Analysis Suggests

Lowering excess cortisol within cells using SPI-62, an investigational treatment of Cushing’s-related conditions, did not affect urinary cortisol levels, a standard measure of therapy effectiveness in clinical trials, an analysis of previous trial data showed. “Normalized urinary free cortisol, or UFC, is a standard therapeutic target for patients with Cushing’s…