Effect of Gonadotropin and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Secretion on Invasiveness of Clinically Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas: A Cell Culture Study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to clarify the correlation between clinical features (especially cyst formation and cavernous sinus invasion) and minor secretion of anterior pituitary hormones, especially adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and gonadotropin, by clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (CNFPAs) in cell culture.


METHODS
We examined anterior pituitary hormones secreted by samples from 63 cases of CNFPAs grown in cell culture. Magnetic resonance imaging, including determination of the Knosp grade, cystic changes, and intraoperative cavernous sinus invasion, was performed.


RESULTS
Detection of minor hormone secretion using cell culture showed that 61.9% (39/63) of CNFPAs secreted luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and thyroid-stimulating hormone, 44.4% (28/63) secreted ACTH, 57.1% (36/63) secreted prolactin, and 28.6% (18/63) secreted growth hormone; only 1 case of the null-cell adenoma was observed (1.6%). Cystic changes, Knosp grade 4 status, and cavernous sinus invasion were predominantly observed in cases of ACTH-secreting adenomas. Gonadotropin-secreting adenomas showed opposite characteristics to ACTH-secreting adenomas.


CONCLUSIONS
Minor secretion of ACTH and gonadotropin may be related to clinical features, especially cystic changes and invasiveness of CNFPAs, suggesting that our cell culture method could be helpful for elucidating the mechanisms of pituitary cyst formation and the invasiveness of CNFPAs.
['Usui|Satoshi|S|', 'Hama|Seiji|S|', 'Tominaga|Atsushi|A|', 'Kinoshita|Yasuyuki|Y|', 'Kurisu|Kaoru|K|']
D000236:Adenoma D000293:Adolescent D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D002478:Cells, Cultured D005260:Female D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone D006062:Gonadotropins D006801:Humans D007986:Luteinizing Hormone D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms D011388:Prolactin D011446:Prospective Studies D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured D055815:Young Adult
Gonadotropin Adrenocorticotropic hormone Nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma Cell culture Follicle-stimulating hormone