Plurihormonal secretion in pituitary adenomas: immunohistological study of 100 cases

ABSTRACT

Background and Pituitary adenomas show wide variability in morphology and function. The aim of this study is to find out the hormonal secretion in these adenomas, as plurihormonality might have a relationship with tumor development. Material and Histopathological and immunohistological studies were done on 100 consecutive pituitary adenomas removed by transsphenoidal resection in the university hospitals of Damascus University, to reveal the secretion of five pituitary hormones PRL, GH, LH ACTH, and TSH, over a period of 27 months, between 2000-2002. Adenomas had equal incidence in males and females [50M, aged 6-60y and 50 females, aged 10-64y]. The mostly observed adenomas were PRL-secreting adenoma in males [15 cases=30% of adenomas in males], and GH-PRL-secreting adenoma in females [16 cases=32% of adenomas in females]. There was monohormonal secretion in 37% of adenomas, bihormonal secretion in 43% of adenomas, and plurihormonal secretion in 18% of adenomas. Traces of hormonal secretion were found in 92% of the nonsecreting adenomas. In 2% of adenomas, no secretion could be detected. The study showed that plurihormonality is common in pituitary adenomas. As most of these pituitary adenomas were benign, it suggests that there is no relationship between plurihormonality and aggressiveness