Intravenous octreotide test predicts the long term outcome of treatment with octreotide-long-acting repeatable in active acromegaly.
OBJECTIVE
Depot formulations of somatostatin analogues are increasingly used in the treatment of active acromegaly. A priori knowledge of the efficacy of these drugs in controlling GH excess is clinically relevant, because only approximately 60% of the patients respond with adequate control of GH (GH levels < 5 mU/L) and/or IGF-1 levels upon this treatment. Therefore, we assessed the acute responses of serum GH levels to a new octreotide test (intravenous administration of 50 microg) in 98 consecutive patients with active acromegaly and we measured the predictive value of this test for the efficacy of chronic octreotide-long acting repeatable (octreotide-LAR) treatment in 18 patients.


METHODS
Serum GH concentrations were measured before and at 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 min following 50 microg i.v. octreotide. The minimal achieved GH was used for analysis. Octreotide-LAR was individually titrated aiming at a normal serum IGF-I for age and a serum GH < 5 mU/L. The mean of 3-6 monthly serum GH and IGF-I measurements after individual dose adjustment was used for evaluating the efficacy of chronic therapy.


RESULTS
Octreotide decreased GH levels to values below 5 mU/L in only 49% of unselected consecutive patients and the response was inversely related to basal GH levels. In patients with baseline GH above 50 mU/L, 50 microg i.v. octreotide reduced GH to < 5 mU/L in only 15% of cases (n = 41), whereas in patients with baseline GH levels below 50 mU/L this goal was achieved in 77% of cases. The fractional decrease in GH levels upon octreotide injection was similar in microadenomas and macroadenomas. The minimally achieved serum GH concentration during the intravenous octreotide test was a good predictor for the GH concentrations during long-term octreotide-LAR treatment as assessed in 18 patients. The intravenous octreotide test, using a minimal GH level of < 5 mU/L, had a sensitivity, positive and negative predictive value of 100% for prediction of GH suppression to below 5 mU/L during long term octreotide-LAR treatment. For predicting the response of IGF-I during long-term treatment, the test performed with a sensitivity of 73% and a positive predictive value of 73%.


CONCLUSIONS
Intravenous octreotide reduces GH to concentrations < 5 mU/L in approximately 50% of consecutive patients with active acromegaly, which predicts a good response to chronic octreotide-LAR treatment.
Biermasz
Nienke R
NR
Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. nrbiermasz@lumc.nl
Pereira
Alberto M
AM
Smit
Jan W A
JW
Romijn
Johannes A
JA
Roelfsema
Ferdinand
F
D000172:Acromegaly / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001682:Biological Availability; D005260:Female; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015282:Octreotide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D010901:Pituitary Function Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D015282:Octreotide