Diagnostic Utility of Serum β-Catenin in Patients with Acromegaly: A Case–Control Study

Background: Acromegaly is a rare endocrine disorder, most commonly caused by a growth hormone (GH)–secreting pituitary adenoma. This study aimed to assess circulating β-catenin protein levels in patients with acromegaly and to compare its diagnostic performance with routine laboratory tests.Methods: This case–control study included 60 adults with acromegaly and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects (HS). Fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, renal and liver function tests, GH, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), uric acid, and β-catenin were measured in all participants.Results: β-catenin levels were significantly higher in patients with acromegaly than in HS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated excellent discriminatory ability of β-catenin for acromegaly, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.992 (p < 0.001). At an optimal cutoff value of > 1.811, the sensitivity was 91.7%, and the specificity was 100%. DeLong’s test further confirmed the superior diagnostic performance of β-catenin compared with routine tests. Correlation analysis showed that β-catenin was significantly and positively correlated with IGF-1, total cholesterol, and total serum bilirubin (TSB), while it was significantly and negatively correlated with creatinine. Multiple linear regression identified IGF-1, GH, urea, GPT, ALP, TSB, and uric acid as independent predictors of β-catenin levels.Conclusion: β-catenin levels are elevated in patients with acromegaly and exhibit excellent diagnostic performance. Monitoring β-catenin may provide clinically useful information and could assist in risk stratification and management of acromegaly.