Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42384227›Full record

ArticlePituitary2026

GH responsiveness to corticotropin-releasing hormone identifies corticotroph-like somatotroph adenomas in acromegaly.

Hirotaka Itoh, Kosuke Mukai, Yuto Mitsui, Toru Umehara, Noriyuki Kijima, Satoru Oshino, Masaharu Kohara, Eiichi Morii, Atsunori Fukuhara, Iichiro Shimomura

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pituitary, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Hirotaka ItohDepartment of Metabolic Medicine, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-0167-254X
Kosuke MukaiDepartment of Metabolic Medicine, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. mukai@endmet.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9365-5561
Yuto MitsuiDepartment of Metabolic Medicine, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-2525-4837
Toru UmeharaDepartment of Neurosurgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5904-4882
Noriyuki KijimaDepartment of Neurosurgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2103-1909
Satoru OshinoDepartment of Neurosurgery, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4248-2322
Masaharu KoharaDepartment of Pathology, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-7636-5833
Eiichi MoriiDepartment of Pathology, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8490-3650
Atsunori FukuharaDepartment of Metabolic Medicine, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6289-3778
Iichiro ShimomuraDepartment of Metabolic Medicine, The University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0851-9603

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCorticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) induces an increase in growth hormone (GH) secretion in a subset of patients with acromegaly; however, the characteristics of these CRH responders remain poorly defined.

methods22 CRH responders were retrospectively compared with 43 nonresponders.

resultsCRH responders exhibited significantly larger tumors and more frequent visual field impairment than nonresponders, despite comparable baseline GH and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels, and disease duration. Tumor volume and diameter were positively correlated with the GH increase ratio in CRH test, whereas GH and IGF-1 per tumor volume or diameter were significantly lower in CRH responders, indicating reduced GH secretory capacity relative to tumor size. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed higher corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) and lower CRHR2 expression in CRH responders. In addition, T-box transcription factor (TPIT) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) expression were significantly more frequent in adenomas from CRH responders, suggesting a corticotroph-like phenotype. GH responses to CRH were significantly correlated with those to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone but not thyrotropin-releasing hormone or oral glucose tolerance testing. GH responses to CRH tended to be inversely correlated with somatostatin receptor subtype 2 expression as a predictor of first-generation somatostatin receptor ligand efficacy but not with octreotide response or MRI signal intensity.

conclusionsThese findings support that GH responsiveness to CRH identifies a biologically distinct subset of somatotroph adenomas characterized by corticotroph-like features, larger tumor size, and reduced GH secretory capacity. GH responsiveness to CRH may serve as a noninvasive indicator of intrinsic tumor biology and behavior.

Indexed as

AcromegalyAdenomaCorticotropin-Releasing HormoneGrowth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary AdenomaHuman Growth HormoneAdrenocorticotropic HormoneAdultAgedFemaleHumansInsulin-Like Growth Factor IMaleMiddle AgedReceptors, Corticotropin-Releasing HormoneRetrospective StudiesAdrenocorticotropic HormoneCorticotropin-Releasing HormoneHuman Growth HormoneInsulin-Like Growth Factor IReceptors, Corticotropin-Releasing HormoneAcromegalyAdrenocorticotropic hormoneCorticotropin-releasing hormonePituitary adenomaSomatotrophTPIT

Identifiers

PMID42384227
PMCPMC13323803

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.