Cabergoline monotherapy in the long-term treatment of Cushing's disease

BackgroundCabergoline is a long-acting dopamine receptor agonist used to treat prolactinomas. Identification of D2 receptors in corticotroph tumors led to clinical trials of cabergoline therapy in limited cases of Nelson's syndrome, ectopic ACTH-secreting tumors, and recently Cushing's disease (CD).ObjectiveTo evaluate the long-term efficacy of cabergoline monotherapy in patients with CD.MethodsRetrospective analysis of non-randomized clinical therapy with cabergoline in 30 patients with CD treated in academic centers of Buenos Aires and Montreal. Cabergoline was initiated at 0.5–1.0 mg/week and adjusted up to a maximal dose of 6 mg/week based on urinary free cortisol (UFC) levels. Complete response to cabergoline was defined as a sustained normalization of UFC with at least two normal values measured at 1–3 months interval; partial response was defined as a decrease of UFC to