A new medical therapy for Cushing disease?

Members of the ErbB family of cell surface tyrosine kinase receptors are important targets for cancer treatment because they frequently contribute to the pathogenesis of malignancy. In this issue of the JCI, Fukuoka et al. generate data that suggest that using a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR; also known as ErbB1) may be a novel approach for treating patients with hypercortisolemia due to pituitary corticotroph adenomas (Cushing disease). While surgical resection remains the cornerstone of treatment for individuals with such tumors, this study suggests that TKIs could perhaps be used to reduce tumor size prior to surgery or to treat recurrent disease after surgery.
Cushing disease is a condition in which the pituitary gland releases too much adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), the hormone that stimulates the secretion of cortisol from the adrenal cortex (Figure 1 [...]