Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jun;36(3):688-696.
doi: 10.3803/EnM.2021.1000. Epub 2021 Jun 28.

Descriptive Epidemiology and Survival Analysis of Prolactinomas and Cushing's Disease in Korea

Jin Sun Park  1   2 , Soo Jin Yun  1   2 , Jung Kuk Lee  3 , So Young Park  1 , Sang Ouk Chin  1
Affiliations

Descriptive Epidemiology and Survival Analysis of Prolactinomas and Cushing's Disease in Korea

Jin Sun Park et al. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Only a few studies have established the epidemiology of prolactinoma and Cushing's disease in Korea. Furthermore, the incidence of these disease are increasing than before associated with the development of technologies. This study was designed to evaluate the epidemiology of prolactinoma and Cushing's disease and their survival analysis according to treatment.

Methods: The nationwide, population-based study evaluated incidence and prevalence of prolactinoma and Cushing's disease using de-identified claims data in The Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database between 2013 and 2017. The survival analysis investigated regarding treatment over a period of 6 years. A log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used.

Results: The 6,056 patients with newly diagnosed prolactinoma and 584 patients with Cushing's disease were recorded between 2013 and 2017. The annual incidence of prolactinoma was 23.5 cases per million, and its prevalence was 82.5 cases per million, and 2.3 cases per million/year and 9.8 cases per million for Cushing's disease. The survival benefit was insignificant in prolactinoma according to treatment, but treatment of Cushing's disease ameliorated the survival rate significantly.

Conclusion: Overall, the incidence of prolactinoma and Cushing's disease was similar with those found previously, but the prevalence of two diseases were inconsistent when compared with the early studies. The present study also proposed necessity of treatment in Cushing's disease for improving the survival rate.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Incidence; Pituitary ACTH hypersecretion; Prevalence; Prolactinoma; Survival analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Incidence rate of prolactinoma in Korea during 2013 to 2017: (A) number of newly diagnosed patients with prolactinoma (B) incidence and prevalence rates of prolactinoma per million.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Incidence rate of Cushing’s disease in Korea during 2013 to 2017: (A) number of newly diagnosed patients with Cushing’s disease (B) incidence and prevalence rates of Cushing’s disease per million.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Probability of survival in (A) prolactinoma (B) Cushing’s disease between treated and untreated patients (curve difference, P=0.1066 for prolactinoma; P=0.0029 for Cushing’s disease).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Daly AF, Rixhon M, Adam C, Dempegioti A, Tichomirowa MA, Beckers A. High prevalence of pituitary adenomas: a cross-sectional study in the province of Liege, Belgium. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006;91:4769–75. - PubMed
    1. Etxabe J, Vazquez JA. Morbidity and mortality in Cushing’s disease: an epidemiological approach. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1994;40:479–84. - PubMed
    1. Nilsson B, Gustavasson-Kadaka E, Bengtsson BA, Jonsson B. Pituitary adenomas in Sweden between 1958 and 1991: incidence, survival, and mortality. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000;85:1420–5. - PubMed
    1. Park KH, Choi JG, Tae ES, Song SO, Nam JY, Song YD. Goyang: National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital; 2015. Rare intractable pituitary diseases: analysis on their epidemiology and use of benefit extension policy (No. 2015-20-025)
    1. Day PF, Loto MG, Glerean M, Picasso MF, Lovazzano S, Giunta DH. Incidence and prevalence of clinically relevant pituitary adenomas: retrospective cohort study in a Health Management Organization in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2016;60:554–61. - PMC - PubMed