Serial follow-up of presurgical treatment using pasireotide long-acting release with or without octreotide long-acting release for naïve active acromegaly

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the serial changes of GH and IGF-1 in seven patients with naïve, active acromegaly following presurgical treatment of the somatostatin analog pasireotide long-acting release (LAR) and octreotide LAR. The patients were treated with pasireotide LAR with or without octreotide LAR for two years and underwent transsphenoidal adenomectomy. After treatment with the somatostatin analogs, the surgical cure rate was similar to that in patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery alone. Diabetes insipidus was not identified in any patients after the operation. Pasireotide LAR was effective on GH as well as IGF-1 suppression and tumor size decreasing when used as the primary therapy. Future large-population studies to investigate the surgical curative rate after presurgical treatment with somatostatin analogs in patients with acromegaly and macroadenomas close to the cavernous sinus are warranted. However, that hyperglycemia developed following pre-surgical treatment with pasireotide should take into consideration.