Summary
Seventeen patients (8 women and 9 men) resistant to all other forms of therapy were treated with the somatostatin analogue SMS 201-995 (octreotide, Sandostatin®). The duration of treatment ranged from 1 to 5 years. Mean GH levels of only 4 patients were suppressed under 5 μg/L during an 8 h serum profile with the standard dose of 0.1 mg 2 or 3 times daily. This standard dose suppressed mean GH levels in 10 other patients more than 50% of baseline, but for optimal effect higher doses up to 1.5 mg, 4 daily injections or continuous subcutaneous infusion (CSI) were needed. Octreotide had no influence on GH secretion in 3 patients. Suppression of mean GH levels under 5 μg/L was achieved in 10 patients. Normalization of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) occured in only 5 patients. Altogether, therapy with SMS 201-995 reduced GH levels from 23.8±32.2 μg/L (mean±SD) to 6.7±5.0 μg/L by 71.8% and IGF-I levels from 7.9±3.1 U/ml to 3.2±1.6 U/ml by 59.5%.
We conclude that 1) treatment with SMS 201-995 in patients resistant to other forms of therapy may be less successful than previously reported for heterogenous groups of patients; 2) the dose regimen must be adapted to the individual patient for optimal effect and most of our patients needed higher doses than 300 μg daily; 3) 4 or maybe more daily injections or CSI seem to be most effective; and 4) in a minority of patients SMS has no influence on GH-secretion.
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Abbreviations
- CSI:
-
continuous subcutaneous infusion
- CT:
-
computerized tomography
- GH:
-
growth hormone
- IGF-I:
-
insulin-like growth factor I=Somatomedin-C
- IRMA:
-
immunoradiometric assay
- MRI:
-
magnetic resonance imaging
- PRL:
-
prolactin
- RIA:
-
radioimmunoassay
- SD:
-
standard deviation
- SMS:
-
octreotide=Sandostatin®
- TSH:
-
thyreoidea stimulating hormone
- T4:
-
thyroxine
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This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Mue 585/3-3). Parts of this work were presented on the 34. Symposium Deutsche Gesellschaft für Endokrinologie Hannover, March 1990 (Acta Endocrinologica Suppl. 1 Vol. 122 (1990), 14)
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Mehltretter, G., Heinz, S., Schopohl, J. et al. Long-term treatment with SMS 201–995 in resistant acromegaly: Effectiveness of high doses and continuous subcutaneous infusion. Klin Wochenschr 69, 83–90 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01666821
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01666821