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Signifor (pasireotide) — a treatment approved for Cushing’s disease patients who are not cured by surgery — reduces the growth of pituitary tumor cells by lowering the amount of activated ERK1/2 proteins, a study finds. The treatment also induces programmed cell death, the scientists discovered. The study, “…

A patient’s age, urinary-free cortisol (UFC) level, fasting glucose — a measure of insulin resistance — body mass index (BMI), and the number of comorbidities at diagnosis for Cushing’s syndrome predicted the number of long-term comorbidities several years after remission, according to a study. Specifically, older age, lower baseline UFC,…

Transsphenoidal surgery — a minimally invasive surgery for removing pituitary tumors in Cushing’s disease patients — is also effective in children and adolescents with the condition, leading to remission with a low rate of complications, a study reports. The research, “Neurosurgical treatment of Cushing disease in pediatric patients:…

A simple test that measures free cortisol levels in saliva at midnight — called a midnight salivary cortisol test — showed good diagnostic performance for Cushing’s syndrome among a Chinese population, according to a recent study. The test was better than the standard urine free cortisol levels and may be…

Corcept Therapeutics has received notice that it will be issued a new patent in the U.S. covering the use of Korlym (mifepristone), in combination with strong CYP3A inhibitors, to treat patients with Cushing’s syndrome. Upon issuance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the company plans to add…

A man with Cushing’s disease — caused by an adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenoma — who later developed metastases in the central nervous system without Cushing’s recurrence, was successfully treated over eight years with radiation and chemotherapy, according to a case report. The report, “Long-term survival…

Cash-strapped governments across the 28-member European Union are struggling to control runaway healthcare expenditures — at exactly the same time as the promise of new but expensive therapies to treat rare diseases has never been greater. That’s the paradox faced by pharmaceutical companies as well as patient advocacy groups in…

Patients with Cushing’s syndrome showed less abdominal fat and increased muscle mass, as well as reduced use of medications one year after having their adrenal glands removed, according to a new study. The research, “Changes of computed tomography-based body composition after adrenalectomy in patients with endogenous hypercortisolism,” was…

Ultrasound scans can be useful to monitor muscle changes in patients with glucocorticoid-induced muscle disease or steroid myopathy, and could become an effective routine procedure for those with Cushing’s disease, a study reports. The study, “Ultrasound‑based detection of glucocorticoid‑induced impairments of muscle mass and structure in Cushing’s disease,” was published…

Recognizing discrepancies between blood tests of adenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels and patients’ clinical data is important for clinicians to avoid unnecessary testing or misdiagnosis, a case series highlights. The study, “Corticotropin hormone assay interference: A case series,” was published in the journal Clinical Biochemistry. Cushing’s syndrome comprises…