Acromegaly
ICD-10 E22.0 · ICD-11 5A60.0

What to Do When Somatostatin Receptor Ligand (SRL) Therapy Fails in Acromegaly Not Curable by Surgery

This protocol applies to patients with acromegaly whose tumor cannot be cured surgically — because of extensive cavernous sinus invasion (without optic chiasm compression) or poor surgical candidacy — and who have not achieved adequate biochemical control on primary SRL therapy.

Clinical Situation

Tumor not curable by surgery; extensive cavernous sinus invasion without optic chiasm compression; poor surgical candidate. For this population, a somatostatin receptor ligand (SRL) is the appropriate first-line medical approach.

Previous Line: Inadequate Response to SRL

The prior line — primary medical therapy with a somatostatin receptor ligand (SRL) — did not achieve its required targets: an age-normalized serum IGF-1 and a random GH < 1.0 µg/L, assessed after 12 weeks. Failure to meet these biochemical goals is the trigger for escalation to this next-line protocol.

Next-Line Approach (Partial Overview)

In this situation, combination medical therapy is considered — the existing SRL is continued and a second agent is added. The complete structured regimen, including which agents are appropriate and how they are individualized, is available in the full protocol.

Treatment Goal

Normalization of serum IGF-1.
Age-normalized serum IGF-1

Instant Access to Structured Evidence-Based Regimens

References

DOI: 10.1210/jc.2014-2700

We suggest use of an SRL as primary therapy in a patient who cannot be cured by surgery, has extensive cavernous sinus invasion, does not have chiasmal compression, or is a poor surgical candidate.

We suggest addition of pegvisomant or cabergoline in a patient with inadequate response to an SRL.

We suggest a biochemical target goal of an age-normalized serum IGF-1 value, which signifies control of acromegaly.

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