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Murray B Gordon Allegheny Neuroendocrinology Center, Departments of Medicine and Neurosurgery, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

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Kellie L Spiller Allegheny Neuroendocrinology Center, Departments of Medicine and Neurosurgery, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

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Summary

Long-acting pasireotide is an effective treatment option for acromegaly, but it is associated with hyperglycemia, which could impact its use in patients with diabetes. We present a case of a 53-year-old man with acromegaly and type 2 diabetes mellitus (glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c): 7.5%), who refused surgery to remove a pituitary macroadenoma and enrolled in a Phase 3 clinical trial comparing long-acting pasireotide and long-acting octreotide in acromegalic patients. The patient initially received octreotide, but insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels remained elevated after 12 months (383.9 ng/mL; 193.0 ng/mL; reference range: 86.5–223.8 ng/mL), indicating uncontrolled acromegaly. He switched to pasireotide 40 mg and subsequently increased to 60 mg. Within 6 months, IGF-1 levels normalized (193.0 ng/mL), and they were mostly normal for the next 62 months of treatment with pasireotide (median IGF-1: 190.7 ng/mL). Additionally, HbA1c levels remained similar to or lower than baseline levels (range, 6.7% to 7.8%) during treatment with pasireotide despite major changes to the patient’s antidiabetic regimen, which included insulin and metformin. Uncontrolled acromegaly can result in hyperglycemia due to an increase in insulin resistance. Despite having insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes, the patient presented here did not experience a long-term increase in HbA1c levels upon initiating pasireotide, likely because long-term control of acromegaly resulted in increased insulin sensitivity. This case highlights the utility of long-acting pasireotide to treat acromegaly in patients whose levels were uncontrolled after long-acting octreotide and who manage diabetes with insulin.

Learning points

  • Long-acting pasireotide provided adequate, long-term biochemical control of acromegaly in a patient with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes mellitus who was unresponsive to long-acting octreotide.

  • Glycemic levels initially increased after starting treatment with pasireotide but quickly stabilized as acromegaly became controlled.

  • Long-acting pasireotide, along with an appropriate antidiabetic regimen, may be a suitable therapy for patients with acromegaly who also have insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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Eline van der Valk Diakonessenhuis Utrecht, Department of Internal Medicine, Postbus 80250, 3508 TG Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Tom Tobe Diakonessenhuis Utrecht, Department of Internal Medicine, Postbus 80250, 3508 TG Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Aline Stades UMC Utrecht, Department of Endocrinology, Postbus 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Alex Muller Diakonessenhuis Utrecht, Department of Internal Medicine, Postbus 80250, 3508 TG Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Summary

A 53-year-old male presented with recurrent calcium oxalate kidney stones as a first sign of underlying acromegaly, which vanished when his acromegaly was controlled. The exact mechanism behind hypercalciuria and urolithiasis in acromegaly is not yet clear. By discussing this case, a short overview of the pathophysiology of hypercalciuria in acromegaly and practical insights are given.

Learning points

  • Hypercalciuria is a common finding in acromegaly.

  • There are only few reports describing hypercalciuric kidney stones in acromegaly.

  • We assume that in acromegaly there is a primary role of IGF1-mediated, PTH-independent increase in calcitriol synthesis resulting in hypercalciuric kidney stones.

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