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Somatostatin Therapy and Surgical Outcomes in Acromegaly: Insights From a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Jumanah Althomali1, Sarah Ahmed2, Shouq Aljohani3, Sohaila Ahmed4, Sahar Abdulrahman5, Saeed Al-beshi6, Dania Othman7, Meshael Alghaihab8, Maali Hamdan9, Shaden Alnasr10, Raghad Alshammari11, Reema Aljasser12, Rawan Sajdi13, Arwa Alahmari14, Futun Alotaibi15

  1. 1Pharmaceutical care department, King Salman specialist hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
  2. 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
  3. 3Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia.
  4. 4King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
  5. 5Al Baha University, Al Baha, Saudi Arabia.
  6. 6Department of Medicine, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.
  7. 7Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
  8. 8King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  9. 9College of Medicine, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia.
  10. 10AlQassim University, AlQassim, Saudi Arabia.
  11. 11College of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha, Saudi Arabia.
  12. 12Department of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
  13. 13Al Hammadi Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  14. 14Department of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia.
  15. 15College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Received: 22-02-2025; Accepted: 08-05-2025.

Volume 23, Issue 4 · pp. 3218 · PUBLISHED 11 November 2025 · DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2025.4.3218

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ABSTRACT

The management of acromegaly, a chronic hormone disorder characterized by excessive growth hormone (GH) secretion, remains a subject of debate. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate the impact of preoperative somatostatin analog (SA) treatment on surgical outcomes in acromegaly patients. A comprehensive search of medical databases was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, resulting in the inclusion of 15 studies published between 2013 and 2024, encompassing 4,387 patients with an average age of 46-47 years. The primary outcomes analyzed were surgical remission rates, postoperative GH levels, tumor volume reduction, and complication rates. Studies indicate that preoperative SA treatment significantly improves remission rates and reduces postoperative GH levels compared to surgery alone. For instance, one study reported a biochemical control rate of 59.5% in the SA group versus 46.5% in the non-SA group. Another study showed that preoperative SA treatment led to a higher rate of tumor volume reduction (62.5% vs. 53.7%). Additionally, patients treated with SAs experienced fewer surgical complications and higher rates of biochemical control. Despite the higher initial costs associated with SA treatment, long-term benefits such as reduced complications and enhanced surgical outcomes suggest it is a cost-effective approach. However, the analysis also highlights the need for further research on long-term outcomes, recurrence rates, patient quality of life, and the overall cost-effectiveness of preoperative SA treatment. This study provides evidence supporting the integration of medical management into the preoperative care plan for acromegaly patients, emphasizing the potential benefits of SA treatment in improving surgical outcomes.

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    Althomali, J., Ahmed, S., Aljohani, S., Ahmed, S., Abdulrahman, S., Al-beshi, S., Othman, D., Alghaihab, M., Hamdan, M., Alnasr, S., Alshammari, R., Aljasser, R., Sajdi, R., Alahmari, A., & Alotaibi, F. (2025). Somatostatin Therapy and Surgical Outcomes in Acromegaly: Insights From a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Pharmacy Practice, 23(4), 3218. https://doi.org/10.18549/PharmPract.2025.4.3218