The necessity and importance of standardized management of acromegaly: from the perspective of development of expert consensuses and clinical guidelines

Abstract

Acromegaly is a rare disease, and multidisciplinary collaboration is essential for its diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.In recent years, a series of novel findings have been echieved in clinical studies on acromegaly.Therefore, the China Pituitary Adenoma Specialist council has convened Chinese specialists in neurosurgery, endocrinology, radiology, and radiotherapy to release the Chinese Consensus for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acromegaly (2021), which aims to promote the standardized and individualized management of acromegaly.Looking back to the past, the consensuses and guidelines have played vital roles in establishing the widely recognized biochemical remission criteria, promoting new drugs and novel therapeutic strategies which are of significance for standardized treatment, and emphasizing the need to focus on the systemic complications of acromegaly and the long-term quality of life. In this editorial, we briefly reviewed the expert consensuses and clinical guidelines on acromegaly at home and abroad, and discussed their important roles in promoting standardized disease management from three aspects including biochemical remission standards, medical treatment, and the diagnosis and treatment of systemic complications.