title: Transsphenoidal microsurgery for Cushing's disease: initial outcome and long-term results.
abstract: Untreated Cushing's disease and the resultant chronically elevated glucocorticoid levels lead to severe metabolic disturbances, including diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, muscle wasting, and osteoporosis. Although transsphenoidal resection has become the standard of care for Cushing's disease with high initial success rates, little information is available on the long-term morbidity and mortality of patients in remission compared with patients with recurrent or persistent Cushing's disease after such treatment. We therefore conducted a retrospective study of 289 patients with Cushing's disease who underwent transsphenoidal microsurgery for an ACTH-secreting adenoma at a tertiary care center exclusively by one surgeon (C.B.W.). Postoperative remission was achieved in 82% (n = 236) of patients, with best initial remission rates observed in patients with grade I (86%) and II (83%) or stage 0 (88%), A (94%), and B (100%) tumors. Male gender, larger tumor size, and higher stage predicted poorer initial outcome. Long-term follow-up was obtained on 178 patients, with a median follow-up time of 11.1 yr (range, 0.6-24.1 yr). Thirteen of 150 (9%) of patients in initial remission developed recurrent disease, and 12 patients underwent additional treatment. At last follow-up, only two of these patients had active disease. However, of the 28 patients with initial persistent disease who had follow-up greater than 6 months, 10 patients continued to have active disease at last follow-up. Although overall survival rates in patients with initial remission did not differ significantly from expected compared with the general population based on age and sex distribution, patients with initial persistent disease had a significant increase in mortality compared with the expected mortality. Thus, successful treatment of Cushing's disease is associated with normal long-term survival. These results suggest that patients with persistent Cushing's disease require early and aggressive intervention to attempt to prevent this excess mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0678, USA. ghammer@umich.edu
authors.forename: Gary D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Hammer
authors.forename: J Blake
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Tyrrell
authors.forename: Kathleen R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Lamborn
authors.forename: Carol B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Applebury
authors.forename: Elizabeth T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Hannegan
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Riva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rahl
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003480:Cushing Syndrome / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013101:Sphenoid Sinus; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D003907:Dexamethasone; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone