Late-Night Salivary Cortisol Testing Comparable To 24-Hour Urine Test For Assessing Remission Of Cushing’s Disease In Patients Post-Radiotherapy, Study Finds

Cushing’s Disease News (5/16, Maia) reported a study found that “measuring cortisol in a small sample of saliva collected late at night may work just as well as the 24-hour urine test – which involves collecting urine passed during the day and night – for checking whether Cushing’s disease is in remission after radiotherapy.” Researchers stated that in Cushing’s patients post-radiotherapy, late-night salivary cortisol testing, or LNSC, “appears to be clinically equivalent to UFC [the urinary free cortisol test] in the assessment of endocrine remission.” Additionally, “because saliva is easier for patients to collect at home, it may be a more convenient option for long-term monitoring, the researchers noted.” They concluded, “Based on our data, LNSC may be used for primary response assessment of patients with [Cushing’s disease] after [radiotherapy].” The study was published in Clinical Endocrinology.