Acromegaly and gigantism are due to overproduction of Growth hormone (GH) usually caused by a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma— a disorder of unequal skeletal, tissue, and organ growth. The incidence of acromegaly is 5 cases per million per year and the prevalence is 60 cases per million. High GH and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF1) levels lead to comorbidities including arthritis, facial changes, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and heart and respiratory failure. If the condition is not diagnosed and treated early, its disabling effects leads to increase in morbidity and reduced life expectancy. The diagnosis is based on clinical features and confirmed by measuring growth hormone levels after oral glucose tolerance test and the estimation …show more content…
Radiation therapy destroys any lingering tumor cells and slowly reduces GH levels. It may take years for this treatment to noticeably improve acromegaly symptoms Radiation treatment can be done in two ways:
Conventional radiation therapy: This type of radiation therapy is usually given every weekday over a period of four to six weeks. One may not realize the full effect of conventional radiation therapy for 10 or more years after treatment.
Stereotactic radiosurgery: Also known as Gamma Knife radiosurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery can deliver a high dose of radiation to the tumor cells in a single dose while limiting the amount of radiation to the normal surrounding tissues. This type of radiation may bring GH levels back to normal within three to five years. Stereotactic radiosurgery is available at only a few U.S. medical centers and is not recommended for all people undergoing radiation for acromegaly.
Even after initial treatment, acromegaly requires periodic monitoring by a clinician to make sure that one is functioning properly. This follow-up care may last for the rest of one’s life.
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Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is an inherited condition that affects hormone production in the adrenal gland. The individual lacks enzymes to make cortisol, and hormones are instead are shifted away to make other hormones, specifically androgens. This results in the deficiency of cortisol and the abundance of testosterone.
...A1c: Should recommendations in adults be extrapolated to adolescents? The Journal of Pediatrics, 158, 947-952.
In July of this year, the FDA announced growth hormones, traditionally reserved for people with growth disorders, will be made available for use by children who are naturally short (Bailey). According to Bailey, “pediatric endocrinologists are permitted to prescribe HGH for children whose predicted adult height is below 4 feet 11 inches for women and 5 feet 3 inches for men” (Bailey). HGH is not a new drug; it has been used for years and prescribed for those with growing disorders. The number of patients for whom the drug is prescribed is expected to increase because of the new FDA ruling. The FDA ruling states use of the drug is no longer just for those with growth disorders (Bailey).
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Acromegaly causes a number of physical changes over time. Since growth hormone is accountable for organ, bone, and muscle growth, excess growth hormone leads to an abnormal growth of these tissues. Individuals with acromegaly may have swelling in the hands and feet and develop a severe facial appearance as the jawbone projects, the tongue enlarges, and the chest rounds (Reid, 2009). The heart grows larger, which damages its role, and other tissue growth tightens the nerv...
At this day in age we are constantly trying to improve the field of medicine in any way that we possibly can. We cherish every birthday and continually try to prolong life. Not only through every field of medicine, especially in terms of cancer. The American Cancer Society is “the official sponsor of birthdays” and is making leaps and bounds in the types of care that cancer patients receive. One of these many breakthroughs is the practice of Stereotactic (Body) Radiotherapy or S(B)RT. SBRT and other radiation therapies have the ability to greatly improve the way that we treat the issue of cancer and the variation of treatment options; however, they have raised the concerns of long term effects from radiation and cost-effectiveness. As research has begun to show, radiation therapies are having great success in curing cancer.
Type 1 diabetes has a genetic onset that often occurs in adolescence (Porth, 2005). It is an autoimmune disease in which the insulin-producing beta cells within the liver are destroyed (Dorman, 1993). This causes a deficiency in insulin secretion, which ultimately leads to high blood glucose levels, also referred to as hyperglycemia (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2004). The mechanism for insulin deficiency leading to hyperglycemia is described in more detail in the following section and in Figure 1.
Radionuclide therapy is the use of ionizing radiations in the management of cancer. The primary goal of the therapy is to kill the cancerous cells completely or cause damage to the DNA of the tumor cells, thereby preventing these cells from undergoing further development, division, and growth (Bolus & Brady, 2011). Radionuclide therapy can have a curative effect if the target cancer cells are localized to a specific region of the body and have not spread. It is also used as a component of adjuvant therapy, where it is used to prevent the possibility of tumor cells that have been removed through surgery from recurring again. Radiation can also be done together with chemotherapy before, during, or after the procedure in cancers that are very susceptible (Schulz-Ertner, Jakel & Schlegel, 2006). The purpose of this discussion is to give an introduction about radionuclide therapy, its types and uses, and to compare it with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
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Whether doctors solely use radiation therapy or use a combination of treatments, radiotherapy has been notoriously helpful in increasing the lifespan of many individuals worldwide.
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Another treatment that is used to help a cancer patients overcome the disease is radiation therapy. Although very affective and used commonly, thi...