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Non-cancerous adrenal gland tumors can lead to rare cases of Cushing’s syndrome in young children and puberty starting years before it should, a case study of a 5-year-old boy shows. Removing his right adrenal gland eliminated the problems, the Saudi Arabian researchers said. Their report dealt with tumors in epithelial cells,…

Measuring cortisol levels in saliva multiple times a day is a convenient and useful way to determine the best course of treatment for patients with Cushing’s syndrome, a preliminary study shows. The research, “Multiple Salivary Cortisol Measurements Are a Useful Tool to Optimize Metyrapone Treatment in Patients with…

New genetic mutations were found in a patient who exhibited atypical symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome, notably an abnormal protrusion of the eye, a case report shows. The research, “Extensive ARMC5 genetic variance in primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia that started with exophthalmos: a case report,” was published…

David Curtis Glebe, a retired 64-year-old public prosecutor now living in Millsboro, Delaware, knows he’s lucky to be alive. In mid-2013, while in Arizona, Glebe was diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer (PNET) — the same disease that killed Apple’s founder and CEO Steve Jobs. After three years of progress…

The chemotherapy temozolomide partially improved a case of an aggressive pituitary tumor that caused symptoms of Cushing’s disease (CD), according to a new study in Poland. However, after tumor mass and cortisol levels were stabilized for a few months, the patient experienced rapid progression, suggesting that new methods for extending the…

Treatment with Signifor (pasireotide) for one year reduces the risk for heart disease and diabetes in patients with Cushing’s disease, by improving visceral adiposity index (VAI) scores and adipose tissue dysfunction, according to a multi-center study. However, Signifor did not prevent an increase in cases of diabetes, or change heart disease risk…

Using endoscopic or microscopic techniques to surgically remove the pituitary glands leads to similar remission and recurrence rates in Cushing’s disease patients, a review of 24 studies shows. The study, titled “Outcome of endoscopic vs microsurgical transsphenoidal resection for Cushing’s disease,” was published in the journal…

This week marks the launch of the “7,000 Mile Rare Movement,” a nationwide effort to raise money for research into the 7,000 known rare diseases that afflict at least 30 million Americans. The campaign kicks off Feb. 1 and culminates with Rare Disease Day on Feb. 28. Organized by…

Stereotactic radiosurgery – a type of targeted, high-dose radiation therapy – delivered with CyberKnife technology effectively induces remission in Cushing’s disease patients whose condition persisted after surgical removal of their pituitary glands. However, researchers advise, caution when interpreting the findings. While promising, the study included only a small group of patients analyzed retrospectively.

The minimally invasive laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) is a safe and feasible procedure for larger adrenal tumors and metastasis, a new Italian study shows. While the findings suggest that the surgical application of laparoscopic adrenalectomy could be extended, surgeons should undergo a 30-procedure learning curve to improve surgical outcomes, researchers say.