1. New types of localization methods for adrenocorticotropic hormone-dependent Cushing’s syndrome
- Author
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Russell Senanayake, Waiel Bashari, Daniel Gillett, Olympia Koulouri, Andrew S. Powlson, Merel Van de Meulen, Ruth Casey, James MacFarlane, and Mark Gurnell
- Subjects
Adenoma ,Diagnostic Imaging ,0301 basic medicine ,Pathology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,Adrenocorticotropic hormone ,Diagnosis, Differential ,Diagnostic Techniques, Endocrine ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Endocrinology ,Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ,Inventions ,Pituitary adenoma ,medicine ,Humans ,Pituitary ACTH Hypersecretion ,Cushing Syndrome ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Inferior petrosal sinus ,Magnetic resonance imaging ,Cushing's disease ,medicine.disease ,Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,Functional imaging ,ACTH Syndrome, Ectopic ,ACTH-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma ,030104 developmental biology ,Positron emission tomography ,Pituitary Gland ,Positron-Emission Tomography ,Corticotropic cell ,business - Abstract
The management of endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS) typically involves two key steps: (i) confirmation of autonomous hypercortisolism and (ii) localization of the cause to guide treatment. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent CS is most commonly due to a pituitary corticotrope tumor which may be so small as to evade detection on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although biochemical testing (e.g., corticotropin stimulation; dexamethasone suppression) can provide an indication of the likely origin of ACTH excess, bilateral inferior petrosal sinus catheterization offers greater accuracy to distinguish pituitary-driven CS [Cushing's Disease (CD)] from the ectopic ACTH syndrome [EAS, e.g., due to a bronchial or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (NET)]. In patients with CD, 40-50% may not have a pituitary adenoma (PA) readily visualized on standard clinical MRI. In these subjects, alternative MR sequences (e.g., dynamic, volumetric, fluid attenuation inversion recovery) and higher magnetic field strength (7T > 3T > 1.5T) may aid tumor localization but carry a risk of identifying coincidental (non-causative) pituitary lesions. Molecular imaging is therefore increasingly being deployed to detect small ACTH-secreting PA, with hybrid imaging [e.g., positron emission tomography (PET) combined with MRI] allowing precise anatomical localization of sites of radiotracer (e.g., 11C-methionine) uptake. Similarly, small ACTH-secreting NETs, missed on initial cross-sectional imaging, may be detected using PET tracers targeting abnormal glucose metabolism (e.g., 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose), somatostatin receptor (SSTR) expression (e.g., 68Ga-DOTATATE), amine precursor (e.g., 18F-DOPA) or amino acid (e.g., 11C-methionine) uptake. Therefore, modern management of ACTH-dependent CS should ideally be undertaken in specialist centers which have an array of cross-sectional and functional imaging techniques at their disposal.
- Published
- 2021