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Exposure to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) by prostate cancer (PCa) patients is increasing, either in early-stage and in metastatic disease. Frequently, ADT becomes a long-term treatment, lasting even more than 10 years, starting with gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists or antagonists, until the newest hormonal treatments as Abiraterone and Enzalutamide. As a consequence, ADT related adverse events occurred. We reviewed the medical literature using Pubmed search terms “prostate cancer”, “androgen deprivation”, “metabolic syndrome”, “cardiovascular diseases” and “psychological assessment”. The search was limited to manuscripts published in English language between 1999 and 2016, preferring more recent review articles. Metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, rather than PCa itself, are the most common causes of mortality, particularly in early stage PCa patients. All these adverse eff ects synergistically increase morbidity in patients taking ADT. Psychological-cognitive implications emerging during ADT result in a significant reduction of health-related quality of life of PCa patients. ADT is associated with several adverse events, which physicians andpatients should evaluate when recommending ADT. Multidisciplinary approach, with diff erent clinicians such as Urologist, Radiotherapist, Oncologist, Endocrinologist, Cardiologist, Psychologist, is mandatory for the suitable clinical management of patients with PCa submitted to ADT. Abbreviations: ADT: androgen deprivation therapy, BMI: body mass index, CV: cardiovascular, GnRH: gonadotropin releasing hormone, HDL: high-density lipoprotein, LDL: low-density lipoprotein, LHRH: luteinizing hormone releasing hormone, MS: metabolic syndrome, PCa: prostate cancer

Tall cell variant (TCV) cancer is considered more aggressive than the classic variant of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Distant metastases are more common among this variant and affect survival. Little is known about the molecular pattern of this histotype.This is a report of 2 cases of unusual metastases from TCV, BRAF V600E-positive.A 38-year-old woman developed subcutaneous metastases during short-term follow-up; at medium-term follow-up, the patient showed detectable stimulated serum thyroglobulin without disease evidence at imaging. A 33-year-old man presented incidental thymic metastases at time of surgical treatment; this is the first case of not ectopic thymic metastases from PTC.TCV may present with unusual metastases already during early follow-up. The more aggressive behavior could be linked to the higher prevalence of BRAF point mutations, but only a long-term follow-up might clarify if this association could worsen the prognosis. Moreover, skin metastases have been predictive factors of worse outcome in our patients, but not thymic metastases.

Aim of this review is to highlight how and when Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as well as Subarachnoid Haemorrhage (SAH) and primary Brain Tumours (pBT) of the Central Nervous System (CNS) can induce hypopituitarism, an under-diagnosed clinical problem. Moreover, this review aims to clarify, on the basis of the recent evidences, how these patients have to be tested for pituitary-function. Both retrospective and prospective studies recommended that patients with more severe form of Brain Injuries (BI) and in particular, those with fractures of the base of the skull or early diabetes insipidus, have to be closely monitored for signs and symptoms of endocrine dysfunction. Further studies will be crucial to raise awareness and remind physicians on the prevalence of hypopituitarism in patients with BI and to elucidate any incremental benefits these patients may receive from hormone replacement.

Herein we report on a young girl with recurrent, functioning paraganglioma of the organ of Zuckerkandl and severe and sustained arterial hypertension (systolic pressure > 200, diastolic pressure > 120 mmHg); with evidence of cardiac damage induced by chronic cathecolamine excess. She promptly and steadily improved after the institution of doxazosin (6 mg/day) plus atenolol (50 mg bid) treatment. This case demonstrates that a correct therapeutic strategy in the long-term management of patients with inoperable catecholamine-producing neuroendocrine tumors (pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas) can maintain arterial pressure in the normal range and reverse the cardiac damage induced by chronic cathecolamine excess.

Eleven patients who had undergone total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer and who were on chronic TSH-suppressive therapy with levothyroxine (l-T4), underwent 24-h Holter electrocardiogram and Doppler-echocardiography before and after acute recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) administration for disease staging. The treatment, which was generally well tolerated, did not affect circulating thyroid hormones levels, nor did it have measurable effects on heart rate, rhythm, left ventricular morphology, or systo-diastolic function. Notably, arterial blood pressure tended to be slightly reduced after rhTSH administration, although in no instance did the patients become frankly symptomatic. Our data demonstrate that rhTSH does not alter cardiovascular function acutely. Consequently, it can safely be used in the routine staging of patients affected by differentiated thyroid cancer.

a Endocrinology, Department of Translational Medicine, Universita del Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”, Italy b SCDU of Pediatrics, Department of Health Sciences, Universita del Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”, Italy c Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Obesity (ICSO), Universita del Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”, Novara, Italy d Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Turin, Italy e Don Gnocchi Rehabilitation Center, Turin, Italy f General Medicine, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Piancavallo (VB) 28923, Italy

The identification of patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease dictates accurate genetic counseling of family members, whereas screening for early detection of visceral and neurological involvement is usually performed by a combination of radiological and nuclear medicine techniques such as ultrasonography or contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the upper abdomen, magnetic resonance imaging of the central nervous system and (131)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine-scintigraphy. The role of (111)-indium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid [(111)In-DTPA(0)] octreotide scintigraphy in this clinical context has never been investigated. Here, we report imaging findings in a VHL patient and in 3 consecutive family members undergoing clinical and radiological screening that included [(111)In-DTPA(0)] octreotide scintigraphy in addition to the above-mentioned procedures. Somatostatin receptor expression was investigated in vitro by immunohistochemistry in pancreatic tumor sections. On the basis of in vivo and in vitro findings, octreotide long-acting release treatment followed by (90)Y-1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane-N, N',N '',N '''tetralacetic acid (DOTA(0))-Tyr(3)-octreotide led to a lack of progression in this patient although this result is a possibility which needs to be proved by further investigation and longer follow-up. The results of this study suggest that [(111)In-DTPA(0)] octreotide scintigraphy may be helpful in the routine work-up of VHL patients for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.