Table of contents
October 2006 Volume 2 No 10
Editorial
Viewpoints
Does growth hormone therapy increase the risk of cancer?
530Experimental studies have implicated GH in the initiation and/or promotion of tumorigenesis, suggesting that patients treated with GH might be at increased risk of cancer. In this Viewpoint, the author reviews several cohort studies and finds that GH therapy could be associated with an elevated incidence of cancer, particularly of the colon.
Growth hormone therapy does not induce cancer
532Although there is some evidence that high levels of GH might cause cancer, patients with acromegaly do not have an increased cancer incidence. This Viewpoint argues, therefore, that GH replacement therapy is not associated with an increased risk of malignancy and that the benefits of treatment probably outweigh the perceived risks.
Research Highlights
Recombinant human thyrotropin before 131I therapy improves goiter reduction
534Postmenopausal women treated for DTC are at risk of osteoporosis
534GnRH-agonist pretreatment improves thermoablation efficacy for large leiomyomata
534Serum cortisol:DHEA ratio might predict the severity of sepsis
535CRH after LDDST does not improve diagnostic accuracy in Cushing's syndrome
535Low testosterone levels in the elderly confer high risk of anemia
536Hypopituitarism associated with high mortality rate in women
536Diabetes is associated with increased risk of hip fracture
537Mild exercise can prevent diabetic peripheral neuropathy
537Reduced risk of breast cancer in women who lose weight
537Statins might reduce the risk of developing cataracts
538Is high-sensitivity CRP assay useful in predictive models for cardiovascular risk?
538Leukocyte counts are associated with components of the metabolic syndrome
539Practice Points
Should annual measurement of the ankle–brachial index be routine practice in diabetes care?
540Does impaired secretion of gastric acid reduce absorption of levothyroxine?
542How effective are processes of care for the treatment of diabetes?
546The prevalence and management of cardiorenal risk factors in patients with diabetic nephropathy
548Reviews
Management of resistant prolactinomas
552This Review details treatment of prolactinomas that do not respond to dopamine agonists. Cabergoline is the most effective agonist and options include maximizing the dose and changing agonists. Trans-sphenoidal surgery is an option if medical therapy is ineffective. Radiation therapy is reserved for invasive tumors that do not respond to medical or surgical therapy.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0290 | Full Text | PDF (174K)
Mechanisms of Disease: multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1—relation to chromatin modifications and transcription regulation
562Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 can be caused by mutations in the gene encoding menin. By interacting with both transcription factors and histone-protein modifying factors, menin can activate or repress gene expression, and—as detailed here—specific pathways affected by menin have been identified. This offers hope for new screening and therapeutic strategies.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0292 | Full Text | PDF (199K)
Drug Insight: prolactin-receptor antagonists, a novel approach to treatment of unresolved systemic and local hyperprolactinemia?
571Excess local tissue production of prolactin may be associated with development and progression of breast and prostate cancers. Pure prolactin-receptor antagonists, such as described here, block prolactin signaling, and may provide a novel therapeutic approach to these cancers, as well as a means of treating drug-resistant forms of hyperprolactinemia.
doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0270 | Full Text | PDF (349K)
Case Study
Acromegaly diagnosed in a young woman presenting with headache and arthritis
582doi:10.1038/ncpendmet0301 | Full Text | PDF (439K)
