Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 4: a new member of the MEN family

• Published in: Endocrine Connections Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Singeisen, Hélène, Renzulli, Mariko Melanie, Pavlicek, Vojtech, Probst, Pascal, Hauswirth, Fabian, Muller, Markus K, Adamczyk, Magdalene, Weber, Achim, Kaderli, Reto Martin, Renzulli, Pietro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Bioscientifica Ltd 01.02.2023; Bioscientifica
• Subjects: cdkn1b; multiple endocrine neoplasia type 4; parathyroid gland; pituitary gland; multiple endocrine neoplasia type 4; CDKN1B; parathyroid gland; pituitary gland
• ISSN: 2049-3614; 2049-3614
• DOI: 10.1530/EC-22-0411

Objective Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 4 (MEN4) is caused by a CDKN1B germline mutation first described in 2006. Its estimated prevalence is less than one per million. The aim of this study was to define the disease characteristics. Methods A systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA 2020 criteria. A literature search from January 2006 to August 2022 was done using MEDLINE® and Web of ScienceTM. Results Forty-eight symptomatic patients fulfilled the pre-defined eligibility criteria. Twenty-eight different CDKN1B variants, mostly missense (21/48, 44%) and frameshift mutations (17/48, 35%), were reported. The majority of patients were women (36/48, 75%). Men became symptomatic at a median age of 32.5 years (range 10–68, mean 33.7 ± 23), whereas the same event was recorded for women at a median age of 49.5 years (range 5–76, mean 44.8 ± 19.9) (P  = 0.25). The most frequently affected endocrine organ was the parathyroid gland (36/48, 75%; uniglandular disease 31/36, 86%), followed by the pituitary gland (21/48, 44%; hormone-secreting 16/21, 76%), the endocrine pancreas (7/48, 15%), and the thyroid gland (4/48, 8%). Tumors of the adrenal glands and thymus were found in three and two patients, respectively. The presenting first endocrine pathology concerned the parathyroid (27/48, 56%) and the pituitary gland (11/48, 23%). There were one (27/48, 56%), two (13/48, 27%), three (3/48, 6%), or four (5/48, 10%) syn- or metachronously affected endocrine organs in a single patient, respectively. Conclusion MEN4 is an extremely rare disease, which most frequently affects women around 50 years of age. Primary hyperparathyroidism as a uniglandular disease is the leading pathology.