To assess the efficacy and safety of osilodrostat in adrenal Cushing syndrome (CS). International study of patients with adrenal CS: patients treated with osilodrostat at any time were enrolled in the safety evaluation and those treated for longer than 4 weeks, in the efficacy evaluation. Patients were classified as responders if they experienced a reduction in urinary free cortisol (UFC) > 50% (complete responders when UFC levels were below the upper limit of normal (ULN) and partial responders if there was a reduction >50% but not normalization). Twenty-eight patients with adrenal CS were enrolled: 16 with adrenocortical carcinoma and 12 with benign disease. Osilodrostat was used in monotherapy in 22 patients and in combination with metyrapone in 6 cases. In those patients treated for longer than 4 weeks (n = 21), 66.7% were classified as responders (28.6% with complete response and 38.1% with partial response) and for those treated for longer than 12 weeks, the rate of response increased to 87.5% The use of osilodrostat as a non-first-line therapy (Odds ratio [OR] 15.0, P = 0.010) was a predictor of response. Osilodrostat led to a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and body weight (P < 0.05). Nine patients developed one or more adverse events and in 56% (n = 5) led to osilodrostat discontinuation. Osilodrostat controls hypercortisolism in 66.7% of patients with adrenal CS treated for longer than 4 weeks and in 87.5% of cases treated for longer than 12 weeks, with a positive impact on blood pressure and body weight. Patients who received osilodrostat after other previous steroidogenesis inhibitors have a higher probability of response.

Bilateral macronodular adrenocortical disease (BMAD) is a rare and often underdiagnosed cause of adrenal Cushing syndrome (CS), with manifestations ranging from mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) to overt CS. ARMC5 and KDM1A are the most frequently implicated genes in familial BMAD; however, long-term follow-up data on affected patients remain limited. This retrospective study assessed the clinical and hormonal variability, genetic profiles, treatment approaches, and outcomes of 17 familial and 9 sporadic BMAD cases over a follow-up period ranging from 8 to 410 months at a Brazilian tertiary center. A total of 250 individuals (50 index cases and 200 relatives) were included. Clinical, hormonal, and imaging data, along with histological and genetic analyses of ARMC5 and KDM1A, were evaluated. Among 250 individuals, 104 (26 index and 78 relatives) carried germline pathogenic/likely pathogenic ARMC5 variants. No KDM1A (likely) pathogenic variants were identified in ARMC5-wild-type patients. ARMC5-positive index cases exhibited severe clinical manifestations, evidenced by elevated cortisol levels (urinary, salivary, and post-dexamethasone suppression test) and reduced ACTH and DHEAS levels (P = .005, P = .042, P = .005, P = .041, and P = .007, respectively). Index cases had larger adrenal nodules (P < .0001). Adrenal-sparing surgery achieved 100% remission vs a 40% remission rate for unilateral adrenalectomy. Central nervous system meningiomas were observed in BMAD patients independent of ARMC5 status. Interestingly, malignant neoplasms were notably prevalent among ARMC5-altered individuals. The proposed management flowchart highlights the importance of genetic screening and continuous monitoring to mitigate the adrenal insufficiency, MACS recurrence, and tumor risk, while underscoring the need for tailored therapeutic strategies in BMAD, adapted to genetic alterations and ARMC5 status.

Adrenocortical adenomas are frequent in the general population and can be associated with autonomous cortisol excess, increasing morbidity and mortality. Altered cAMP/PKA signalling is common in sporadic cortisol-producing adenomas, typically due to somatic activating mutations in the catalytic subunit α of PKA (PRKACA) or the G-protein α subunit, Gαs (GNAS), which activate cAMP signalling. We previously identified a novel p.Lys58Gln GNAS somatic variant in a patient with a 5.3 cm adenoma and overt Cushing's syndrome. This novel mutation was not charactersised before but provided enough evidence to warrant further investigation. Using HEK293 cells depleted of GNAS, we established wild-type (WT) Gαs and Gαs-Lys58Gln stable cell lines and evaluated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) receptor signalling using a cAMP GloSensor assay, measured CREB transcription factor phosphorylation (pCREB) by AlphaLISA and assessed CRE luciferase reporter activity. Cell viability and apoptosis were also assessed over 5 days. The Gαs-Lys58Gln variant showed a significantly higher basal cAMP, pCREB and CRE luciferase reporter concentration and a greater response to ACTH (0-10 nM, P < 0.001) compared to WT Gαs. The variant had no effect on ligand potency. There was also significantly enhanced cell viability and apoptosis in cells with the Gαs-Lys58Gln variant. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that the Gαs-Lys58Gln variant is associated with constitutive activation of GNAS signalling, similar to Arg201 mutations previously reported in adrenocortical adenomas, potentially representing a new pathogenic mechanism in a subset of patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome. This variant may also affect cell proliferation and requires further study.

Adrenal Cushing syndrome (CS) has been rarely studied in recent years in Japan. This study aimed to investigate clinical characteristics and their changes over time in patients with adrenal CS. We analyzed 101 patients with adrenal CS caused by adenoma, dividing them into two groups based on diagnosis period: December 2011-November 2016 (later group, n = 50) and August 2005-November 2011 (earlier group, n = 51). Differences between the groups and comparisons with previous reports were assessed. Patients with subclinical CS were excluded. Adrenal incidentalomas were the most frequent reason for CS diagnosis (34%). Most patients exhibited few specific cushingoid features (2.5 ± 1.3), with moon faces and central obesity being the most common. Compared to earlier reports, specific cushingoid features were less frequent; nonetheless, no significant differences were observed between the earlier and later groups. All patients had midnight and post-dexamethasone suppression test serum cortisol levels exceeding 5 μg/dL. No significant differences were found between the groups regarding non-specific symptoms, endocrinological findings related to cortisol secretion, cardiometabolic commodities or infections, except for glucose intolerance and bone complications. The prevalence of metabolic disorders other than glucose intolerance and osteoporosis fluctuated over time. Sixteen patients developed cardiovascular diseases or severe infections. In conclusion, adrenal CS became less florid in the 2000s, showed no improvement in the following years, and remained associated with a high complication rate. Further research is needed to establish an early detection model for CS. Our study found that one-sixth of patients with adrenal Cushing syndrome continued to develop severe complications in this century despite their specific cushingoid features being less pronounced than in the past. Notably, the findings provide clinical insights that may aid in earlier disease diagnosis.

In clinical trials, osilodrostat (11β-hydroxylase inhibitor) effectively reduced cortisol levels in patients with endogenous Cushing syndrome (CS). A real-world study (ILLUSTRATE) was conducted evaluating osilodrostat use in patients with various etiologies of CS in the United States. A retrospective chart-review study was conducted of adults with CS treated with osilodrostat between May 1, 2020, and October 29, 2021. A total of 42 patients (Cushing disease, n = 34; CS due to adrenal adenoma, n = 5; ectopic adrenocorticotropin syndrome [EAS], n = 3) were included. Starting doses were 2 mg twice daily in 27/42 patients (64.3%), maintenance doses were 2 mg twice daily in 6 of 9 patients (66.7%) attaining them. During osilodrostat treatment, urinary free cortisol (UFC) decreased below the upper limit of normal (ULN) in 14 of 20 patients (70.0%) with pretreatment UFC greater than the ULN. Osilodrostat response was observed across a range of doses (2-20 mg/day). In Cushing disease, median UFC and late-night salivary cortisol decreased from 3.03 and 2.39 × ULN, respectively, to 0.71 and 1.13 × ULN at last assessment in those with available data (n = 17 and 8, respectively). UFC decreased in all patients with adrenal CS or EAS with available data (n = 2 each). There were no unexpected safety signals; the most common adverse events (incidence ≥20%) were fatigue, nausea, and lower-extremity edema. Glucocorticoid withdrawal syndrome and/or adrenal insufficiency were reported in 12 of 42 patients (28.6%) after osilodrostat initiation, resulting in treatment discontinuation in 4. In routine practice with dosing individualized according to clinical condition, response, and tolerability, osilodrostat was effective and well tolerated regardless of CS etiology and severity.