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European Neurology 2022Pituitary adenomas (PAs) account for the top three primary intracranial tumors in terms of total incidence rate. PAs can cause severe endocrine disorders and even... (Review)
Review
Pituitary adenomas (PAs) account for the top three primary intracranial tumors in terms of total incidence rate. PAs can cause severe endocrine disorders and even malignant features, such as invasion, metastasis, and recurrence. Therefore, the early diagnosis and accurate prognosis would be greatly beneficial for clinical treatment of PAs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, protein-noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally. They regulate essential physiological processes, including proliferation, growth, and apoptosis, and also they involve in the invasion and metastasis of malignant tumors. At the tissue level, differential miRNA expression in endocrine malignancies including PAs has been reported. When miRNAs have been successfully detected in various biofluids and cell-free environments, their important roles as potential screening or prognostic biomarkers have been extensively investigated. The current work reviews recent studies on the emerging roles of miRNAs in PAs and the clinical significance.
Topics: Adenoma; Humans; MicroRNAs; Pituitary Neoplasms; Prognosis
PubMed: 35034033
DOI: 10.1159/000521388 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2021Pituitary tumors are very complex and heterogeneous and have a very wide range of proliferative and aggressive behaviors, and how to define and classify these tumors... (Review)
Review
Pituitary tumors are very complex and heterogeneous and have a very wide range of proliferative and aggressive behaviors, and how to define and classify these tumors remains controversial. This review summarizes the epidemiology and progress in the classification and definition of pituitary tumors, as well as controversial issues. Based on the results of radiologic and autopsy studies, the prevalence of pituitary tumors has recently increased significantly. However, the majority of pituitary tumors are incidentally discovered and asymptomatic, and such tumors are called pituitary incidentalomas. Most of these incidentalomas do not induce symptoms, remain stable in size, and do not need treatment. The recent revised classification strategies mainly depend on immunohistochemistry (IHC) to detect pituitary hormones and pituitary transcription factors; therefore, the accuracy of diagnosing pituitary tumors has improved. Although new classification strategies and definitions for pituitary tumors have been presented, there are still some controversies. The term pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET) was proposed by the International Pituitary Pathology Club, and this terminology can encompass the unpredictable malignant behavior seen in the subset of aggressive pituitary adenomas (PAs). However, some endocrinologists who oppose this change in terminology have argued that the use of tumor in the terminology is misleading, as it gives PAs a harmful connotation when the majority are not aggressive. Such terminology may add new ambiguity to the origin of PAs and unnecessary anxiety and frustration for the majority of patients with benign PAs. The classification of aggressive PAs mainly relies on subjective judgment of clinical behavior and lacks objective biomarkers and unified diagnostic criteria. However, the term "refractory" could more accurately represent the characteristics of these tumors, including their clinical behaviors, radiological features, and pathologic characteristics. Moreover, the diagnostic criteria for refractory PAs are stricter, more objective, and more accurate than those for aggressive PAs. Early identification of patients with these tumors through recognition and increased awareness of the definition of refractory PAs will encourage the early use of aggressive therapeutic strategies.
Topics: Adenoma; Diagnostic Techniques, Endocrine; Humans; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Pituitary Neoplasms; Practice Guidelines as Topic
PubMed: 33815274
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.604644 -
Journal of Medical Case Reports Apr 2022Giant parathyroid adenoma is a type of parathyroid adenoma weighing > 3.5 g and having a size of more than 2 cm.
BACKGROUND
Giant parathyroid adenoma is a type of parathyroid adenoma weighing > 3.5 g and having a size of more than 2 cm.
CASE PRESENTATION
This report describes giant primary parathyroid adenoma with reference to the literature. We report the case of a 48-year-old Persian man referred to the clinic with knee and lower back pain. He had a history of mitral valve replacement and several episodes of bilateral nephrolithiasis. After a thorough assessment, a neck mass with a possible thyroid origin was detected, but further assessment showed it was of parathyroid origin. The resected mass was 9 × 6× 4 cm and weighed 122 g, and histopathology showed a giant parathyroid adenoma.
CONCLUSION
Giant parathyroid adenomas that weigh more than 110 g and are larger than 8 cm can lead to significant hypercalcemia. Despite giant parathyroid adenomas and high parathyroid hormone levels, a calcium crisis may not always occur in these patients, and the masses may be initially misdiagnosed as a thyroid mass.
Topics: Adenoma; Humans; Hypercalcemia; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Hormone; Parathyroid Neoplasms; Thyroid Gland
PubMed: 35414046
DOI: 10.1186/s13256-022-03401-y -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2024Prolactinomas (PRLomas) constitute approximately half of all pituitary adenomas and approximately one-fifth of them are diagnosed in males. The clinical presentation of... (Review)
Review
Prolactinomas (PRLomas) constitute approximately half of all pituitary adenomas and approximately one-fifth of them are diagnosed in males. The clinical presentation of PRLomas results from direct prolactin (PRL) action, duration and severity of hyperprolactinemia, and tumor mass effect. Male PRLomas, compared to females, tend to be larger and more invasive, are associated with higher PRL concentration at diagnosis, present higher proliferative potential, are more frequently resistant to standard pharmacotherapy, and thus may require multimodal approach, including surgical resection, radiotherapy, and alternative medical agents. Therefore, the management of PRLomas in men is challenging in many cases. Additionally, hyperprolactinemia is associated with a significant negative impact on men's health, including sexual function and fertility potential, bone health, cardiovascular and metabolic complications, leading to decreased quality of life. In this review, we highlight the differences in pathogenesis, clinical presentation and treatment of PRLomas concerning the male sex.
Topics: Female; Male; Humans; Prolactinoma; Hyperprolactinemia; Quality of Life; Pituitary Neoplasms; Adenoma
PubMed: 38370355
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1338345 -
CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics May 2024Pituitary adenoma is one of the most common brain tumors. Most pituitary adenomas are benign and can be cured by surgery and/or medication. However, some pituitary... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Pituitary adenoma is one of the most common brain tumors. Most pituitary adenomas are benign and can be cured by surgery and/or medication. However, some pituitary adenomas show aggressive growth with a fast growth rate and are resistant to conventional treatments such as surgery, drug therapy, and radiation therapy. These tumors, referred to as refractory pituitary adenomas, often relapse or regrow in the early postoperative period. The tumor microenvironment (TME) has recently been identified as an important factor affecting the biological manifestations of tumors and acts as the main battlefield between the tumor and the host immune system.
MAIN BODY
In this review, we focus on describing TME in pituitary adenomas and refractory pituitary adenomas. Research on the immune microenvironment of pituitary adenomas is currently focused on immune cells such as macrophages and lymphocytes, and extensive research and experimental verifications are still required regarding other components of the TME. In particular, studies are needed to determine the role of the TME in the specific biological behaviors of refractory pituitary adenomas, such as high invasion, fast recurrence rate, and high tolerance to traditional treatments and to identify the mechanisms involved.
CONCLUSION
Overall, we summarize the similarities and differences between the TME of pituitary adenomas and refractory pituitary adenomas as well as the changes in the biological behavior of pituitary adenomas that may be caused by the microenvironment. These changes greatly affect the outcome of patients.
Topics: Pituitary Neoplasms; Humans; Tumor Microenvironment; Adenoma; Animals; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38738958
DOI: 10.1111/cns.14729 -
Trends in Cancer Nov 2019Studies of colorectal cancer (CRC) originating through the conventional adenoma-carcinoma sequence have provided insight into the molecular mechanisms controlling its... (Review)
Review
Studies of colorectal cancer (CRC) originating through the conventional adenoma-carcinoma sequence have provided insight into the molecular mechanisms controlling its initiation and progression. Less is known about the alternative 'serrated' pathway, which has been associated with BRAF mutation and microsatellite instability. Recent transcriptomics approaches to classify human CRC revealed that mesenchymal and/or desmoplastic features combined with an immunosuppressive microenvironment are key determinants of CRC with the poorest prognosis. Importantly, these aggressive CRCs harbor the characteristics of serrated tumors, suggesting that initiation through this alternative pathway determines how aggressive the CRC becomes. Here, we review recent evidence on how serrated carcinogenesis contributes to the subtype of CRC with the poorest prognosis.
Topics: Adenoma; Animals; Colorectal Neoplasms; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Mice; Microsatellite Instability; Mutation; Neoplasms, Experimental
PubMed: 31735291
DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2019.09.004 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2023Somatotropinomas are the main cause of acromegaly. Surgery is the primary and most efficient method of treatment. The study aimed to compare the radicality of... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
INTRODUCTION
Somatotropinomas are the main cause of acromegaly. Surgery is the primary and most efficient method of treatment. The study aimed to compare the radicality of small-sized and medium (<30 mm) somatotropinoma removal and the incidence of postoperative complications in patients with acromegaly when using microscopic and endoscopic techniques.
METHODS
In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 83 patients with acromegaly underwent transspheroidal endoscopy or microscopic surgery. Somatotropinoma was the cause of acromegaly in all cases. Patients were randomly divided into two comparison groups depending on the applied surgical technique. Group 1 (n = 40) consisted of patients who underwent adenomectomy with transnasal transsphenoidal access by a microscope. Group 2 (n = 43) included patients who underwent the same surgical procedure with an endoscope. The following indicators were assessed: radicality of tumor removal, treatment effectiveness, postoperative complications, and remission rate.
RESULTS
The study has shown that removal of somatotropinoma in patients with acromegaly using endoscopic technique increases the radicality of tumor removal in comparison with microscopic technique. Total removal of somatotropinoma was successful in 88.4% of cases when using the endoscopic technique. Secondly, the segmentation of patients according to their tumor characteristics poses challenges, primarily owing to the rarity of acromegaly as a disease. The difference between groups was not statistically significant (p=1.02). There were no statistically significant differences in basal GH level and IGF-1 level between groups (p=0.546 and p=0.784, respectively).
DISCUSSION
Endonasal transsphenoidal endoscopic adenomectomy is proven efficacy, a less traumatic degree, and higher somatotropinoma removal radicality. Both surgical methods lead to disease remission.
Topics: Humans; Acromegaly; Endoscopy; Adenoma; Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma; Postoperative Complications; Pituitary Neoplasms
PubMed: 37766690
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1128345 -
Scientific Reports May 2022We performed the present study to investigate the role of computed tomography (CT) radiomics in differentiating nonfunctional adenoma and aldosterone-producing adenoma...
We performed the present study to investigate the role of computed tomography (CT) radiomics in differentiating nonfunctional adenoma and aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and outcome prediction in patients with clinically suspected primary aldosteronism (PA). This study included 60 patients diagnosed with essential hypertension (EH) with nonfunctional adenoma on CT and 91 patients with unilateral surgically proven APA. Each whole nodule on unenhanced and venous phase CT images was segmented manually and randomly split into training and test sets at a ratio of 8:2. Radiomic models for nodule discrimination and outcome prediction of APA after adrenalectomy were established separately using the training set by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression, and the performance was evaluated on test sets. The model can differentiate adrenal nodules in EH and PA with a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 83.3%, 78.9% and 80.6% (AUC = 0.91 [0.72, 0.97]) in unenhanced CT and 81.2%, 100% and 87.5% (AUC = 0.98 [0.77, 1.00]) in venous phase CT, respectively. In the outcome after adrenalectomy, the models showed a favorable ability to predict biochemical success (Unenhanced/venous CT: AUC = 0.67 [0.52, 0.79]/0.62 [0.46, 0.76]) and clinical success (Unenhanced/venous CT: AUC = 0.59 [0.47, 0.70]/0.64 [0.51, 0.74]). The results showed that CT-based radiomic models hold promise to discriminate APA and nonfunctional adenoma when an adrenal incidentaloma was detected on CT images of hypertensive patients in clinical practice, while the role of radiomic analysis in outcome prediction after adrenalectomy needs further investigation.
Topics: Adenoma; Adrenalectomy; Aldosterone; Essential Hypertension; Humans; Hyperaldosteronism; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 35614110
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12835-9 -
Endokrynologia Polska 2022Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare condition and accounts for < 1% of cases of sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism. It accounts for 0.005% of all cancers. Often the...
INTRODUCTION
Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare condition and accounts for < 1% of cases of sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism. It accounts for 0.005% of all cancers. Often the differentiation between adenoma and carcinoma is challenging and requires multidisciplinary cooperation. Complete surgical resection is the treatment of choice. We present a retrospective analysis of 29 patients who were surgically treated for parathyroid cancer.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Between the years 1983 and 2018, 71 (7.0%) patients were treated for suspicion of parathyroid cancer among a group of 1019 operated for primary hyperparathyroidism.
RESULTS
We confirmed the diagnosis of parathyroid cancer in 29 (2.8%) patients, 12 men and 17 women, aged 27 to 77 years, mean 55.1 years. That constituted 43.9% of the 71 patients with initial suspicion of cancer diagnosis. All operated patients were under long-term observation.
CONCLUSIONS
A diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma should always be considered during surgery in patients diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism, especially in patients with severe hypercalcaemia, significantly enlarged neck circumference, and concomitant diseases of the renal and skeletal system. Parathyroid carcinoma is rarely definitively diagnosed preoperatively or even intraoperatively, and the final diagnosis can be made exclusively after operation. The optimal treatment is a complete surgical resection at a reference centre - specialized in parathyroid surgery - to improve outcomes and provide the best chance of recovery.
Topics: Adenoma; Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Hyperparathyroidism; Male; Middle Aged; Parathyroid Neoplasms; Parathyroidectomy; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 35156702
DOI: 10.5603/EP.a2022.0003 -
Mayo Clinic Proceedings Oct 2022To perform a population-based study of pituitary adenoma epidemiology, including longitudinal trends in disease incidence, treatment patterns, and outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
To perform a population-based study of pituitary adenoma epidemiology, including longitudinal trends in disease incidence, treatment patterns, and outcomes.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
In this study of incident pituitary adenomas in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from January 1, 1989, through December 31, 2019, we identified 785 patients who underwent primary screening, 435 of whom were confirmed as harboring incident pituitary adenomas and were included. Primary outcomes of interest included demographic characteristics, presenting features, and disease outcomes (tumor control, biochemical control, and complications).
RESULTS
Among our 435 study patients, 438 unique pituitary adenomas were diagnosed at a median patient age of 39 years (interquartile range [IQR], 27 to 58 years). Adenomas were incidentally identified in 164 of the 438 tumors (37%). Common symptomatic presentations included hyperprolactinemia (188 of 438 [43%]) and visual field deficit (47 of 438 [11%]). Laboratory tests confirmed pituitary hormone hypersecretion in 238 of the 435 patients (55%), which was symptomatic in 222. The median tumor diameter was 8 mm (IQR, 5 to 17 mm). Primary management strategies were observation (156 of 438 tumors [36%]), medication (162 of 438 tumors [37%]), and transsphenoidal resection (120 of 438 tumors [27%]). Tumor and biochemical control were achieved in 398 (95%) and 216 (91%) secreting tumors, respectively. New posttreatment pituitary or visual deficits were noted in 43 (11%) and 8 (2%); apoplexy occurred in 28 (6%). Median clinical follow-up was 98 months (IQR, 47 to 189 months). Standardized incidence rates were 3.77 to 16.87 per 100,000 population, demonstrating linear expansion over time (R=0.67). The mean overall standardized incidence rate was 10.1 per 100,000 population; final point prevalence was 175.1 per 100,000 population.
CONCLUSION
Pituitary adenoma is a highly incident disease, with prolactin-secreting and incidental lesions representing the majority of tumors. Incidence rates and asymptomatic detection appear to be increasing over time. Presenting symptoms and treatment pathways are variable; however, most patients achieve favorable outcomes with observation or a single treatment modality.
Topics: Adenoma; Adult; Humans; Incidence; Middle Aged; Pituitary Hormones; Pituitary Neoplasms; Prolactin; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 35753823
DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.03.017