January - March 2013, Volume 9, Issue 1

Fleseriu M, McCartney S

A New Era of Cushing Disease Therapeutics

Acta Endo (Buc) 2013, 9 (1): 89-96
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2013.89

Cushing syndrome (CS) is a severe clinical condition caused by prolonged and inappropriate exposure to cortisol. Excluding exogenous cortisol excess, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion from a pituitary adenoma, also called Cushing disease (CD), represents by far the most common CS etiology. Since Harvey Cushing first reported the classical clinical syndrome over 100 years ago, much clinical progress has been made, however disease management remains a challenge both in terms of diagnosis and treatment.Treatment is often complex and may require surgery, medical management and radiotherapy. Here we focus on the key findings of recent clinical trials with new therapeutic agents (1-3) and discuss how these new treatments fit in the armamentarium for patients with CD.

Keywords: Cushing syndrome, Cushing disease, adrenocorticotropic hormone, pituitary adenoma, medical management.

Correspondence: Maria Fleseriu MD, Oregon Health & Science University, Neurological Surgery and Medicine, Mail Code BTE 472, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, BTE 28, Portland, Oregon 97239, United States, E-mail: fleseriu@ohsu.edu