Editorial for Special Issue “Improving Outcome of Cushing’s Syndrome-4” (IMPROCUSH-4)

One-hundred-twelve years after the first report of a patient with Cushing’s syndrome (CS), the 22-year-old Minnie G., who happened to be the first patient described by Harvey Cushing in 1912 [1], this disease has proven to be one of the few remaining challenges in clinical endocrinology. Progress in diagnosing and treating Cushing’s syndrome has been slow following the first few decades after Cushing’s seminal description. Being a true orphan disease with an incidence of 1.5–8.3 patients per year per million technical advances and innovations came mostly as a transfer from more common diseases [2]. Computed tomography, magnet resonance imaging, molecular imaging, advanced genetic techniques also benefitted diagnosis and treatment in CS. A new area started in 2012, when the first drug specifically addressing Cushing’s disease was approved by the FDA and EMEA [3]. Since then, five more compounds have marketed, and several more are expected to enter the treatment arena of CS soon.

Publication History

Article published online:
11 December 2024

• References

• 1 Cushing H. The Pituitary Body and its Disorders, Clinical States Produced by Disorders of the Hypophysis Cerebri. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company; 1912
• 2 Reincke M, Fleseriu M. Cushing Syndrome: A Review. JAMA 2023; 330: 170-181
• 3 Colao A, Petersenn S, Newell-Price J. et al. A 12-month phase 3 study of pasireotide in Cushing’s disease. New England Journal of Medicine 2012; 366: 914-924
• 4 Tizianel I, Barbot M, Ceccato F. Subtyping of Cushing’s Syndrome: A Step Ahead. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2024: 132: 659–669.
• 5 Nowotny H F, Braun L, Reisch N. The Landscape of Androgens in Cushing’s Syndrome. Experimental and Clinical Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2024: 132: 670–677.
• 6 Hernández-Ramírez L C, Perez-Rivas L G, Theodoropoulou M et al. An Update on the Genetic Drivers of Corticotroph Tumorigenesis. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2024: 132: 678–696.
• 7 Bouys L, Bertherat J. From the First Case Reports to KDM1A Identification: 35 Years of Food (GIP)-Dependent Cushing’s Syndrome. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2024: 132: 697–704.
• 8 Zdrojowy-Wełna A, Valassi E. Cushing’s Syndrome in the Elderly. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2024: 132: 705–711.
• 9 Zavatta G, Di Dalmazi G. Mild Autonomous Cortisol Secretion (MACS) – Related Osteoporosis. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2024: 132: 712–722. DOI: 10.1055/a-2329-5787
• 10 Detomas M, Deutschbein T, Altieri B. Medical Therapy of Endogenous Cushing’s Syndrome with Steroidogenesis Inhibitors: Treatment Rationale, Available Drugs, and Therapeutic Effects. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2024: 132: 723–731.