Pituitary adenoma

Pituitary adenoma
Visual field loss in bitemporal hemianopsia: peripheral vision loss affecting both eyes, resulting from a tumor – typically a pituitary adenoma – putting pressure on the optic chiasm
SpecialtyOncology, endocrinology

Pituitary adenomas are tumors that occur in the pituitary gland. Most pituitary tumors are benign, approximately 35% are invasive and just 0.1% to 0.2% are carcinomas.[1] Pituitary adenomas represent from 10% to 25% of all intracranial neoplasms, with an estimated prevalence rate in the general population of approximately 17%.[1][2]

Non-invasive and non-secreting pituitary adenomas are considered to be benign in the literal as well as the clinical sense, though a 2011 meta-analysis of available research showed that research to either support or refute this assumption was scant and of questionable quality.[3]

Adenomas exceeding 10 mm (0.39 in) in size are defined as macroadenomas, while those smaller than 10 mm (0.39 in) are referred to as microadenomas. Most pituitary adenomas are microadenomas and have an estimated prevalence of 16.7% (14.4% in autopsy studies and 22.5% in radiologic studies).[2][4] The majority of pituitary microadenomas remain undiagnosed, and those that are diagnosed are often found as an incidental finding and are referred to as incidentalomas.

Pituitary macroadenomas are the most common cause of hypopituitarism.[5][6]

While pituitary adenomas are common, affecting approximately 1 in 6 members of the general population, clinically active pituitary adenomas that require surgical treatment are more rare, affecting approximately 1 in 1,000.[7]

  1. ^ a b Pituitary Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version NIH National Cancer Institute
  2. ^ a b Ezzat S, Asa SL, Couldwell WT, Barr CE, Dodge WE, Vance ML, et al. (August 2004). "The prevalence of pituitary adenomas: a systematic review". Cancer. 101 (3): 613–619. doi:10.1002/cncr.20412. PMID 15274075. S2CID 16595581.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Balsells2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Asa SL (August 2008). "Practical pituitary pathology: what does the pathologist need to know?". Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. 132 (8): 1231–1240. doi:10.5858/2008-132-1231-PPPWDT. PMID 18684022.
  5. ^ Higham CE, Johannsson G, Shalet SM (November 2016). "Hypopituitarism". Lancet. 388 (10058): 2403–2415. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30053-8. PMID 27041067. S2CID 208791062.
  6. ^ Hyperthyroidism unmasked several years after the medical and radiosurgical treatment of an invasive macroprolactinoma inducing hypopituitarism: a case report. L Foppiani, A Ruelle, P Cavazzani, P del Monte – Cases Journal, 2009
  7. ^ Daly AF, Rixhon M, Adam C, Dempegioti A, Tichomirowa MA, Beckers A (December 2006). "High prevalence of pituitary adenomas: a cross-sectional study in the province of Liege, Belgium". The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 91 (12): 4769–4775. doi:10.1210/jc.2006-1668. PMID 16968795.