Characterization of hyperlipidemia secondary to mitotane in adrenocortical carcinoma.

Background: This study examined the magnitude of changes and the time required to observe maximal changes in LDL-c, HDL-c, triglycerides (Tg) and non-HDL-c after the introduction of mitotane. Methods: Retrospective study of 45 patients with adrenocortical carcinoma who were treated at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal. Clinical and biochemical data were collected, including lipid profiles before and during the first year of treatment with mitotane. Results: Among the 45 studied patients, 26 (58%) had a complete lipid profile before the introduction of mitotane and at least 1 lipid profile during the first year of treatment, and 19 patients (42%) had a lipid profile following initiation of the treatment. Among the 26 patients who had lipid profiles before and after the introduction of mitotane, the increase of LDL-c was 2.19 mmol/L (76%) (P< 0.0001), HDL-c was 0.54 mmol/L (35%) (P= 0.0002), Tg was 1.80 mmol/L (129%) (P< 0.0001) and non-HDL-c was 2.73 mmol/L (79%) (P< 0.0001). Between the first and the sixth month of mitotane treatment, peak values (n = 45) of LDL-c and non-HDL-c were reached in 42 patients (93%) and 37 patients (82%), respectively, whereas peak values of HDL-c were reached after 6 months of mitotane treatment in 29 patients (66%). The peak value of Tg was almost equal throughout the first year. The mean peak values of HDL-c, Tg and non-HDL-c showed significant associations with their respective mitotane concentrations (ß = 0.352, P= 0.03; ß = 0.406, P= 0.02 and ß = 0.339, P= 0.05). Conclusion: The introduction of mitotane produces a clinically significant elevation of lipid parameters (LDL-c, HDL-c, Tg and non-HDL-c) during the first year of treatment.

Recovery of Adrenal Insufficiency Is Frequent After Adjuvant Mitotane Therapy in Patients with Adrenocortical Carcinoma.

Mitotane is a steroidogenesis inhibitor and adrenolytic drug used for treatment of adrenocortical cancer (ACC). Mitotane therapy causes adrenal insufficiency requiring glucocorticoid replacement in all patients. However, it is unclear whether chronic therapy with mitotane induces complete destruction of zona fasciculata and whether hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis can recover after treatment cessation. Our objective was to assess the HPA axis recovery in a cohort of patients after cessation of adjuvant mitotane therapy for ACC. We retrospectively reviewed patient files with stage I-II-III ACC in two referral centers in Canada and Italy. Data on demographics, tumor characteristics, hormonal profile, and HPA axis were collected. Data from 23 patients with pathologically proven ACC treated with adjuvant mitotane for a minimum of two years were analyzed. Eight patients were males and 15 were females and the median age was 41 years old (range 18 to 73). After mitotane cessation, 18/23 (78.3%) patients achieved a complete HPA axis recovery while 3/23 (13.0%) were unable to tolerate glucocorticoid withdrawal despite having normal hormonal test values and 2/23 (8.7%) never achieved recovery. The mean time interval between mitotane cessation and HPA axis recovery was 2.7 years. A high proportion of patients achieved HPA axis recovery following cessation of mitotane adjuvant therapy. However, complete recovery was often delayed up to 2.5 years and regular assessment of the hormonal profile is required.

Small adrenal incidentaloma becoming an aggressive adrenocortical carcinoma in a patient carrying a germline APC variant.

PURPOSE: Recent guidelines on adrenal incidentalomas suggested in patients with an indeterminate adrenal mass and no significant hormone excess that follow up with a repeat noncontrast CT or MRI after 6-12 months may be an option. METHODS: We report the case of a 32-year-old woman who presented with a 2.9 × 1.9 cm left adrenal incidentaloma that was stable in size for 4 years. Ten years later the left adrenal mass was a stage IV adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). RESULTS: In 2006, a 32-year-old French Canadian woman was referred to endocrinology for a left 2.9 × 1.9 cm incidentally discovered adrenal mass (31 HU). She had normal hormonal investigation. The patient was followed with adrenal imaging and hormonal investigation yearly for 4 years and the lesion stayed stable in size over the 4 years. Ten years later, in 2016, the patient presented with renal colic. Urological CT unexpectedly revealed that the left adrenal mass was now measuring 9 × 8.2 cm and 2 new hepatic lesions were found. Biochemical workup demonstrated hypercorticism and hyperandrogenemia: plasma cortisol after 1 mg overnight DST of 476 nmol/L and DHEA-S of 14.0 µmol/L (N 0.9-6.5). Twenty-four hour urine steroid profiling was consistent with an adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) co-secreting cortisol, androgens and glucocorticoid precursors. The diagnosis of ACC with hepatic ACC metastases was confirmed at histology. Following genetic analysis, germline heterozygous variant of uncertain significance (VUS) was identified in the exon 16 of the APC gene (c.2414G > A, p.Arg805Gln). Immunohistochemical staining's of the ACC was positive for IGF-2 and cytoplasmic/nuclear ß-catenin staining. CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates that (1) small adrenal incidentaloma stable in size may evolve to ACC and (2) better genetic characterization of these patients may eventually give clues on this unusual evolution.

CT Characteristics of Pheochromocytoma: Relevance for the Evaluation of Adrenal Incidentaloma.

Background: Up to 7% of all adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) are pheochromocytomas (PCCs). In the evaluation of AI, it is generally recommended that PCC be excluded by measurement of plasma-free or 24-hour urinary fractionated metanephrines. However, recent studies suggest that biochemical exclusion of PCC not be performed for lesions with CT characteristics of an adrenocortical adenoma (ACA). Aim: To determine the proportion of PCCs with ACA-like attenuation or contrast washout on CT. Methods: For this multicenter retrospective study, two central investigators independently analyzed the CT reports of 533 patients with 548 histologically confirmed PCCs. Data on tumor size, unenhanced Hounsfield units (HU), absolute percentage washout (APW), and relative percentage washout (RPW) were collected in addition to clinical parameters. Results: Among the 376 PCCs for which unenhanced attenuation data were available, 374 had an attenuation of >10 HU (99.5%). In the two exceptions (0.5%), unenhanced attenuation was exactly 10 HU, which lies just within the range of ≤10 HU that would suggest a diagnosis of ACA. Of 76 PCCs with unenhanced HU > 10 and available washout data, 22 (28.9%) had a high APW and/or RPW, suggestive of ACA. Conclusion: Based on the lack of PCCs with an unenhanced attenuation of <10 HU and the low proportion (0.5%) of PCCs with an attenuation of 10 HU, it seems reasonable to abstain from biochemical testing for PCC in AIs with an unenhanced attenuation of ≤10 HU. The assessment of contrast washout, however, is unreliable for ruling out PCC.

Genetic Characterization of GnRH/LH-Responsive Primary Aldosteronism.

Background: Recently, somatic ß-catenin mutations (CTNNB1) identified in aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) from three women were suggested to be responsible for the aberrant overexpression of luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor and gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor in the APA. Objective: To genetically characterize patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) evaluated in vivo for gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)/luteinizing hormone (LH)-responsive aldosterone secretion. Method: Patients with PA were evaluated in vivo to determine the possible regulation of aldosterone secretion by GnRH or LH. Genetic analysis of the CTNNB1, KCNJ5, ATP1A1, ATP2B3, CACNA1D, and GNAS genes were performed in this cohort and a control cohort of PA not tested in vivo for GnRH response. Results: We studied 50 patients with confirmed PA, including 36 APAs, 12 bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasias, 1 oncocytoma, and 1 bilateral hyperplasia with cosecretion of cortisol. Among 23 patients tested in vivo for GnRH response of aldosterone, 7 (30.4%) had a positive response, 4 (17.4%) a partial response, and 12 (52.2%) no response. No somatic CTNNB1 mutations were identified, but the disease-causing c.451G>C KCNJ5 mutation was found in two individuals with partial and no GnRH responses and an individual showing a positive response to LH. Two additional somatic pathogenic mutations, CACNA1D c.776T>A and ATP1A1 c.311T>G, were identified in two patients with no GnRH responses. In the 26 patients not tested for GnRH response, we identified 2 CTNNB1 (7.7%), 13 KCNJ5 (50%), and 1 CACNA1D (3.8%) mutations. Conclusion: Aberrant regulation of aldosterone by GnRH is frequent in PA, but is not often associated with somatic CTNNB1, although it may be found with somatic KCNJ5 mutations.

MANAGEMENT OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: Differential diagnosis, investigation and therapy of bilateral adrenal incidentalomas.

The investigation and management of unilateral adrenal incidentalomas have been extensively considered in the last decades. While bilateral adrenal incidentalomas represent about 15% of adrenal incidentalomas (AIs), they have been less frequently discussed. The differential diagnosis of bilateral incidentalomas includes metastasis, primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia and bilateral cortical adenomas. Less frequent etiologies are bilateral pheochromocytomas, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), Cushing's disease or ectopic ACTH secretion with secondary bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, primary malignancies, myelolipomas, infections or hemorrhage. The investigation of bilateral incidentalomas includes the same hormonal evaluation to exclude excess hormone secretion as recommended in unilateral AI, but diagnosis of CAH and adrenal insufficiency should also be excluded. This review is focused on the differential diagnosis, investigation and treatment of bilateral AIs.

TAKOTSUBO-LIKE CARDIOMYOPATHY IN A LARGE COHORT OF PATIENTS WITH PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA AND PARAGANGLIOMA.

OBJECTIVE: Pheochromocytoma (PHEO) and paraganglioma (PGL) (PPGL) may cause acute Takotsubo-like catecholamine cardiomyopathy (TLC). The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical presentation of TLC in a large cohort of patients with PPGL. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the records of consecutive patients with PPGL investigated in our center from 1995 to 2016. We collected clinical and paraclinical data of patients that had TLC in this cohort. We performed a literature review of cases of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy related to PPGL described between 1990 and 2015. RESULTS: Our cohort included 275 patients with PPGL. Acute TLC was found in 4 of 152 (2.6%) patients with secreting PPGL. There was no event recorded in 123 patients with unknown presurgical secretion (n = 51) or nonsecreting PPGL (n = 72). Four patients (44 to 79 years old) fulfilled the criteria for TLC, including 2 PHEO and 2 PGL patients. A precipitating stressor event was identified in 3 cases including surgery (n = 2) and upper respiratory tract infection. In all cases, the diagnosis of PPGL came after the cardiac event and following the investigation of a lesion incidentally found at imaging. Moreover, we identified in the literature 59 cases described in the last 25 years and analyzed this cohort together with our 4 new cases. CONCLUSION: Acute TLC may be found in up to 3% of patients with secreting PPGL. Considering that the diagnosis of PPGL was performed following incidental finding of radiologic mass, the real prevalence of PPGL in TTC remains to be determined. ABBREVIATIONS: ECG = electrocardiogram; LVEF = left ventricular ejection fraction; MIBG = metaiodobenzylguanidine; PGL = paraganglioma; PHEO = pheochromocytoma; PPGL = pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma; TLC = Takotsubo-like cardiomyopathy; TTC = Takotsubo cardiomyopathy; ULN = upper limit of normal.