Volume 3 Issue 8, August 2007

Transsphenoidal surgery is the first-line treatment for non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA); however, optimal management of residual tumor after surgery remains actively debated. Although dopamine agonists do not promote appreciable tumor shrinkage in NFPA, the author of this Viewpoint suggests that these agents could be used to prevent tumor re-enlargement.

Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea is associated with low levels of leptin, consistent with a state of energy deprivation. The author of this Viewpoint discusses whether administration of recombinant human leptin could replace the nutrition and behavioral interventions that are currently the treatment of choice for this disorder.

Obesity surgery is an effective means of achieving and maintaining weight loss, curing or improving otherwise chronic, serious comorbidities and reducing mortality. This article describes evolving aspects of patient selection and various surgical options; it also details outcomes and many of the neurogastrointestinal mechanisms of surgery affecting appetite regulation.

Selective estrogen-receptor modulators (SERMs) improve survival in women with breast cancer. There is, however, a need for more-effective SERMs and, most importantly, tissue-targeted alternatives to classical hormone replacement therapy while preventing breast cancer. This article describes how combining a SERM and dehydroepiandrosterone might prevent breast and uterine cancers, while benefiting other tissues affected by the menopause.

Microarray technology is well established as a research tool, and now it is increasingly being used in clinical and diagnostic settings. This article describes the principles behind microarrays, and details the current and potential applications in the search for biomarkers for diabetes, endocrine tumors and hormonal modulators of tumors.