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Metformin, an oral type 2 diabetes medicine, can promote cell death in tumors that cause Cushing’s disease and reduce the excessive production of the adrenocorticotroph hormone (ACTH) that underlies it, a study in mice cells reports. These findings suggest that metformin, a tablet, may offer a new way of treating…

Salivary cortisol levels can be used to diagnose Cushing’s syndrome with relatively high reliability, but each test center should establish its own measurement limits depending on the exact method used for the test, a study from Turkey shows. Researchers, however, caution that late-night salivary cortisol measurements in clinical practice…

Transsphenoidal surgery, a minimally invasive surgery to remove tumors in the pituitary gland, is safe and effective to treat Cushing’s disease, a 20-year history of cases in a Belgian hospital shows. The surgery resulted in high remission rates (83%) in patients. It was also found…

Treatment with metyrapone rapidly reduces cortisol levels in Cushing’s syndrome patients and keeps them low over the long term, a real-life study shows. The study, “Metyrapone treatment in Cushing’s syndrome: a real-life study,” was published in the journal Endocrine. Cushing’s syndrome is a condition where patients have too much cortisol…

Patients with Cushing’s disease whose pituitary tumors bear mutations in the USP8 gene are more likely to experience recurrence, and develop them sooner after surgery, a new study shows. The study, “The USP8 mutational status may predict long-term remission in patients with Cushing’s disease,” was published in the journal Clinical…

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy — the removal of the adrenal glands through tiny holes in the abdomen — is a safe and effective method for treating certain patients with Cushing’s syndrome, according to researchers. Their study, “Effectiveness of unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy in ACTH-independent hypercortisolaemia and subclinical Cushing’s syndrome — a retrospective…

A fluorescent dye that helps surgeons accurately identify anatomical structures is safe and may help guide laparoscopic procedures to remove the adrenal glands, a new study shows. The study, “Role of indo-cyanine green (ICG) fluorescence in laparoscopic adrenalectomy: a retrospective review of 55 Cases,” which included several Cushing’s disease…

Patients 60 and older living with Cushing’s disease have lower body mass index, a measure of body fat, and more muscle wasting than patients younger than 60, a study has found. However, the rates of remission following surgery are similar. The study, “Cushing’s Disease in Older…

Temozolomide — an oral chemotherapy treatment — may be partially effective for Cushing’s disease patients with aggressive pituitary tumors that do not respond to conventional therapies, a case report suggests. However, despite initial tumor stabilization with temozolomide treatment, the patient described in the case report died shortly thereafter, indicating a…

In rare cases, abnormal receptors on the adrenal glands can cause excess cortisol and Cushing’s syndrome, according to a case report. Identifying these receptors can allow physicians to treat the disease pharmacologically rather than surgically, the researchers say. The report, “Two cases of Cushing’s syndrome due to primary…