title: Treatment of acromegaly: future.
abstract: Recent progress in the therapy of GH-secreting pituitary tumors includes three treatment modalities: surgery, radiotherapy, and medications. A combination of treatment options is often required to attain therapeutic goals, increasing the potential for a combination of unwanted side effects. The focus of this review is to discuss medical therapy of GH-secreting adenomas focusing on newer drug compounds. In selected cases, therapeutic goals are attained with somatostatin analog treatment alone. The GH receptor antagonist controls IGF-I hypersecretion, and its use in combination with somatostatin analogs in selected patients is tempting but requires further evaluation. Somatostatin multireceptor ligand SOM230 and a somatostatin-dopamine chimeric ligand are new compounds that may improve therapy outcome. Careful individualization of therapy is important in deciding the ideal treatment approach, and primary medical therapy may be recommended in selected patients.
authors.affiliation: Cedars-Sinai Research Institute, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Donangelo
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Melmed
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005544:Forecasting; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D013004:Somatostatin; C406545:pegvisomant