The greatest of follies is to sacrifice health for any other kind of happiness.

-Arthur Schopenhauer

 

PNA Spotlight: Dr. Adriana G. Ioachimescu

This month the PNA Spotlight focuses on Adriana G. Ioachimescu, MD, PhD, FACE Professor of Medicine (Division of Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine) and Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin, a lifetime professional member of the PNA.
Dr. Ioachimescu was a Professor of Medicine in Endocrinology and Neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Ioachimescu was also co-director and co-founder of the Emory Neuroendocrine Pituitary Center and a consulting editor at Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics. Previously she worked at Carol Davila University in Bucharest, Romania, and at the Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Ioachimescu was born in Bucharest, Romania and earned her PhD in Neuroendocrinology from Carol Davila University of Medicine. She completed an internship in internal medicine at Danbury Hospital and then a fellowship in Endocrinology at the Cleveland Clinic. She did residencies in internal medicine at Carol Davila University, Yale University and the Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Ioachimescu was kind enough to respond to a few questions from the PNA:

PNA Medical Corner: Machine Learning and Pituitary Surgery

An article co-authored by multiple members of the PNA (Including Drs. Samson, Chaichana, and Quinones-Hinojosa) looks at the role of machine learning in forecasting outcomes of pituitary surgery. They conclude that it is not ready yet as no model achieved clinical applicability.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36979305/

Abstract

Background: The complex nature and heterogeneity involving pituitary surgery results have increased interest in machine learning (ML) applications for prediction of outcomes over the last decade. This study aims to systematically review the characteristics of ML models involving pituitary surgery outcome prediction and assess their reporting quality.

Methods: We searched the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge databases for publications on the use of ML to predict pituitary surgery outcomes.

Featured News and Updates

News Articles November 2025

News Articles November 2025

Case report: from pituitary tumor to metastatic cancer

An article on Cureus.com looks at the case of a 35-year-old man with a lactrotroph pituitary adenoma that progressed to a metastatic pituitary carcinoma. In this rare case, the cancer is “resistant to surgery, radiation, and medical treatments.“  Read more: https://www.cureus.com/articles/348490-transformation-of-lactotroph-pituitary-adenoma-to-metastatic-pituitary-carcinoma-a-case-report#!/

Patient story: Musician Lou Gramm on his battle with a pituitary tumor

An article on blabbermouth.net features the pituitary story of musician Lou Gramm of the group “Foreigner”, who had surgery for a craniopharyngioma in 1997 after suffering headaches and memory loss.  Read more: https://blabbermouth.net/news/lou-gramm-says-he-couldnt-remember-the-words-to-foreigners-classic-songs-shortly-after-his-brain-surgery

Researchers use artificial intelligence to screen for childhood hormone deficiency

An article in EMJ Reviews looks at a study on whether artificial intelligence can predict growth hormone deficiency in children of short stature. The machine learning model examines MRI scans of the pituitary and has shown good results. In the future, this could lead doctors to order fewer invasive growth hormone stimulation tests for children. Read more: https://www.emjreviews.com/en-us/amj/radiology/news/mri-radiomics-model-predicts-childhood-hormone-deficiency/

Patient on off-label cabergoline develops impulse control disorder as tumor grows

An study in Cureus.com examines the case of a 19-year-old man with a prolactinoma who was given off-label cabergoline at three times the normal dose for ten years. He developed an impulse control disorder and a spending and gambling problem, and was lost to follow-up. Radiosurgery was rejected, as the patient was deemed unable to comply with the necessary follow-up regime. It was later discovered that his tumor was resistant to cabergoline and had grown and extended into the cavernous sinus, making it inoperable. Read more: https://www.cureus.com/articles/416467-giant-prolactinoma-resistant-to-high-dose-cabergoline-in-a-young-male-lost-to-follow-up#!/

 

Research Articles

November 2025 Research Articles

 Pituitary tumors


Interrogation of the cellular hierarchies reveals neoplastic evolution and therapeutic vulnerability in craniopharyngioma.

Zhang B, Zhang J, Li Z, Sheng H, Li H, Lu Y, Liu X, Xu Z, Huang Y, Zhu C, Wen Y, He X, Zhang L.Neuro Oncol. 2025 Oct 24:noaf249. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noaf249. Online ahead of print.

 

Unusual Dual Brain Tumor Morphologies in an MEN1 Patient: A Case Report of Diagnostic Challenges and Methylation Insights.

Patel V, Aboud O, Barakat A.Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Oct 16;26(20):10065. doi: 10.3390/ijms262010065.

 

Pituitary surgery
Global Growth and Distribution of CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Annagiri S, Hori YS, Persad ARL, Ustrzynski L, Emrich SC, Tayag A, Park DJ, Adler JR, Chang SD.Neurosurg Pract. 2025 Jul 10;6(3):e000150. doi: 10.1227/neuprac.0000000000000150. eCollection 2025 Sep.

 

Imaging

Combined Use of Diffusion- and Perfusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Differential Diagnosis of Sellar Tumors: A Single-Centre Experience.

Korbecki A, Łukasiewicz M, Kacała A, Sobański M, Zdanowicz-Ratajczyk A, Szałata K, Dorochowicz M, Korbecka J, Trybek G, Zimny A, Bladowska J.J Clin Med. 2025 Oct 11;14(20):7168. doi: 10.3390/jcm14207168.


A swarm intelligence-driven hybrid framework for brain tumor classification with enhanced deep features.

Yonar A.Sci Rep. 2025 Oct 28;15(1):37543. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-23820-3.

 

Acromegaly

Paltusotine: The first selective nonpeptide agonist of somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) for the treatment of acromegaly.

Sun Y, Lu D, Gao J.Drug Discov Ther. 2025 Oct 29. doi: 10.5582/ddt.2025.01109. Online ahead of print.

 

Hematological Malignancy in a Hypophysectomised Acromegalic Patient Under 4-Year Therapy with Somatostatin Analogues: From a Rib Lump Underlying Bone Plasmatocytoma Features to Multiple Myeloma.

Stanciu M, Cătană A, Ristea RP, Tanasescu D, Carsote M, Popa FL, Lebădă IC.Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 Oct 17;15(20):2623. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics15202623.

 

Cushing’s

Three Cases of Ectopic, Cyclic Cushing Syndrome: A New Square Wave Variant.

Martinez-Gil M, Tshimbombu TN, Li Yi Ang Y, Rodriguez MC, Yuen KCJ.JCEM Case Rep. 2025 Oct 28;3(12):luaf176. doi: 10.1210/jcemcr/luaf176. eCollection 2025 Dec.

 

Selective Hippocampal Subfield Atrophy Mediates Cognitive Decline in Cushing’s Disease.

Feng Z, Zhou T, Yan X, He K, Liu H, Yu X, Lu R, Ma Z, Yu X, Zhang Y.Brain Behav. 2025 Nov;15(11):e71030. doi: 10.1002/brb3.71030.

 

Hormonal health

 

Awareness of post-transplant endocrine disorders among kidney transplant clinicians: results of an Italian survey.

Pellegrini B, Cantaluppi V, Aimaretti G, Ferraresso M, Romagnoli J, Silvestre C, Comai G, Maggiore U, Leone F, Greco R, Maggiolini M, Provenzano M, Zaza G; Joint Committee of the Italian Society of Organ Transplantation and the Italian Society of Nephrology.J Endocrinol Invest. 2025 Oct 29. doi: 10.1007/s40618-025-02741-y. Online ahead of print.

 

 

 

 

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