Excellent response to pasireotide therapy in an aggressive and dopamine-resistant prolactinoma

Eur J Endocrinol. 2019 Aug;181(2):K21-K27. doi: 10.1530/EJE-19-0279.

Abstract

Prolactinomas are the most commonly encountered pituitary adenomas in the clinical setting. While most can be controlled by dopamine agonists, a subset of prolactinomas are dopamine-resistant and very aggressive. In such tumors, the treatment of choice is neurosurgery and radiotherapy, with or without temozolomide. Here, we report a patient with an highly aggressive, dopamine-resistant prolactinoma, who only achieved biochemical and tumor control during pasireotide long-acting release (PAS-LAR) therapy, a second-generation somatostatin receptor ligand (SRL). Interestingly, cystic degeneration, tumor cell necrosis or both was observed after PAS-LAR administration suggesting an antitumor effect. This case shows that PAS-LAR therapy holds clinical potential in selective aggressive, dopamine-resistant prolactinomas that express somatostatin (SST) receptor subtype 5 and appears to be a potential new treatment option before starting temozolomide. In addition, PAS-LAR therapy may induce cystic degeneration, tumor cell necrosis or both in prolactinomas.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Adenoma / drug therapy*
  • Dopamine Agonists / administration & dosage*
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / drug effects*
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / physiology
  • Female
  • Hormones / administration & dosage
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness / diagnostic imaging
  • Pituitary Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Pituitary Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Prolactinoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Prolactinoma / drug therapy*
  • Somatostatin / administration & dosage
  • Somatostatin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Tumor Burden / drug effects
  • Tumor Burden / physiology

Substances

  • Dopamine Agonists
  • Hormones
  • Somatostatin
  • pasireotide