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Research Summary
Clinical studies of patients with pituitary tumors. Current research is investigating new approaches to the evaluation of disease status and treatment of acromegaly.
Research Activities
Utilizing a large cohort of postoperative patients with acromegaly, ongoing studies are evaluating biochemical criteria for cure using a highly sensitive and specific GH immunoradiometric assay. An ongoing longitudinal study of patients from this cohort who are in remission is aimed at determining if abnormal GH suppression after oral glucose in patients with normal IGF-I levels is predictive of future disease recurrence. Clinical studies are also in progress with the novel therapeutic agent, pegvisomant, a growth hormone receptor antagonist. A focus of the studies with pegvisomant is to define optimal biochemical goals, in particular, optimal IGF-I levels for treatment with pegvisomant. Toward this aim body composition analysis and an assessment of metabolic abnormalities are being conducted in patients with acromegaly being treated with pegvisomant in order to establish that range of IGF-I within the normal range that best correlates with normalization of clinical disease activity as gauged by changes in body composition and metabolic parameters. A study is also underway examining changes in cardiac structure and function in patients with acromegaly treated with pegvisomant. Other studies are assessing ghrelin in acromegaly, the newly discovered hormone importantly linked to nutritional state, body composition and the GH axis. Evidence suggests that metabolic abnormalities and ghrelin dysregulation in active acromegaly are related and our therapies may impact differentially on ghrelin secretion and its interaction with body composition. A prospective longitudinal study in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly will characterize changes in ghrelin in relation to metabolic indices, biochemical markers and body composition in patients with acromegaly after surgery and other forms of therapy.
Positions & Appointments
| 1999-present |
Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine |
Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons |
New York, NY |
| 1997-1999 |
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine |
Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons |
New York, NY |
| 1997-present |
Assistant Attending in Medicine |
Presbyterian Hospital |
New York, NY |
| 1996-1997 |
Assistant in Medicine |
Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons |
New York, NY |
| 1994-1996 |
Instructor in Medicine |
Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons |
New York, NY |
Honors and Awards
1999-2002 Irving Scholar Award
Committees and Society Memberships
The Endocrine Society
The Pituitary Society
Clinical Director, Neuroendocrine Unit, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.
Member, GCRC Scientifc Advisory Committee, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
Member, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Favorite Websites
http://www.ColumbiaDeptMedicine.org/dept/medicine/neuroendo/
Selected Publications:
1. Freda PU. (2003) Current concepts in the biochemical assessment of the patient with acromegaly. Growth Hormone & IGF-I Research
13(4):171-84
2. Freda PU, Reyes CS, Conwell IM, Sundeen RS and Wardlaw SL. (2003) Serum ghrelin levels in acromegaly: Effects of surgical and long-acting octreotide therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab
88:2037-44
3. Freda PU. (2002) Somatostatin analogs in acromegaly. J Clin Endocrinol Metab
87:3013-8
4. Freda PU, Landman RL, Sundeen RE and Post KD. (2001) Gender and age in the biochemical assessment of cure of acromegaly. Pituitary
4:163-71
5. Trainer PJ, Drake WM, Katznelson L, Freda PU, Herman-Bonert V, Van der Lely AJ et al. (2000) Treatment of acromegaly with the growth hormone-receptor antagonist
pegvisomant. N Engl J Med
342:1171-7
6. Freda PU, Post KD, Powell JS and Wardlaw SL. (1998) Evaluation of disease status with sensitive measures of GH secretion in 60 postoperative patients with acromegaly. J Clin Endocrinol Metab
83:3808-16
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