title: Primary medical therapy for acromegaly.
abstract: There is now considerable evidence that the clinical outcome in patients with acromegaly can be improved very substantially by means of better surgical expertise and effective medical therapies used in a flexible and innovative manner. Medical therapy alone in patients who have not undergone surgery or radiotherapy (primary medical therapy) offers the prospect of near normalisation of GH/IGF-I levels together with substantial tumour shrinkage in a significant number of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. M.C.Sheppard@bham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sheppard
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D000236:Adenoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000139:chemically induced; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D015282:Octreotide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D013004:Somatostatin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone; C406545:pegvisomant; D015282:Octreotide