Cushing's disease is a rare condition where the body produces too much of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol helps with metabolism, the immune system, and managing stress. But too much cortisol can lead to problems like weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, and changes in appearance, such as a round face or a hump on the back. People with Cushing's disease often gain weight around their belly and may get stretch marks. They might also feel emotional changes, tiredness, or weakness. This disease is usually caused by a small, non-cancerous growth in the pituitary gland called a 'pituitary adenoma.' The pituitary gland is a small organ at the base of the brain and controls many important functions. When someone is diagnosed with Cushing's disease, doctors typically use an MRI scan to look for the adenoma in the pituitary gland. If found, the adenoma can often be removed through surgery, which often cures the disease. This is the standard treatment for patients with Cushing's disease. However, MRIs only find the adenoma in about 60% of the time. If surgery isn't possible because the adenoma can't be located, doctors may use medication to lower cortisol levels. In addition to the MRI, doctors might use a special PET/CT scan to find the adenoma. This PET/CT scan is not available everywhere, so the investigators refer our patients to Cambridge Hospital for this scan, which uses a special dye called 11C-methionine. The investigators then review the scan with the teams from Imperial and Cambridge. If the PET/CT scan shows where the adenoma is, the patient will be offered surgery. However, finding the adenoma can be challenging because they are often small and hard to distinguish from normal tissue. If the adenoma isn't visible, the investigators will use medical treatment to lower cortisol. After a period of medical treatment, another MRI scan and PET/CT scan will be done to see if the adenoma has become clearer. This second PET/CT scan would not normally be part of routine clinical care. The investigators will then compare the results of the two scans to see if the special dye is showing a stronger signal, which can help us find the adenoma more accurately and improve the chance of curing Cushing's disease with surgery.
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Healthy volunteers are participants who do not have a disease or condition, or related conditions or symptoms |
No |
Study Type
An interventional clinical study is where participants are assigned to receive one or more interventions (or no intervention) so that researchers can evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or health-related outcomes. An observational clinical study is where participants identified as belonging to study groups are assessed for biomedical or health outcomes. Searching Both is inclusive of interventional and observational studies. |
Observational |
Eligible Ages | 18 Years and Over |
Gender | All |
Trial ID:
This trial id was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, providing information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants with locations in all 50 States and in 196 countries. |
NCT06701838 |
Phase
Phase 1: Studies that emphasize safety and how the drug is metabolized and excreted in humans. Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness (whether the drug works in people who have a certain disease or condition) and additional safety data. Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs. Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing, efficacy, or optimal use. |
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Lead Sponsor
The sponsor is the organization or person who oversees the clinical study and is responsible for analyzing the study data. |
Imperial College London |
Principal Investigator
The person who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the entire clinical study. |
N/A |
Principal Investigator Affiliation | N/A |
Agency Class
Category of organization(s) involved as sponsor (and collaborator) supporting the trial. |
Other |
Overall Status | Not yet recruiting |
Countries | |
Conditions
The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. |
Cushing's Disease, Hypercortisolism, Pituitary Adenoma, Pituitary ACTH Secreting Adenoma |
This trial has no sites locations listed at this time. If you are interested in learning more, you can contact the trial's primary contact:
Florian Wernig, MD FRCP
For additional contact information, you can also visit the trial on clinicaltrials.gov.