Diagnosis and Treatment of Pituitary Carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

The early diagnosis and treatment of pituitary carcinoma is difficult. The diagnosis is often delayed, and the confirmation of a diagnosis requires the presence of distant subarachnoid,brain or systemic metastasis from the primary pituitary tumor in the sella and also needs the evidences of pathology and imaging of the primary pituitary carcinoma and metastases. Treatment of pituitary carcinoma includes surgery, radiation therapy ,hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and molecularly targeted therapy; however, these methods are mainly palliative and can not prolong the survival. The prognosis remains poor. Efforts should be made to develop more effective diagnosis and treatment options.

Correlation between Expression of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 and Pituitary Adenoma Subtypes / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the correlation between signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) expression and pituitary adenoma subtypes.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The STAT3 expression profiles in different pituitary adenomas from 74 patients were determined using quantificational real-time polymerase chain reaction,Western blot,and immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Expression of STAT3 was observed in all pituitary adenoma subtypes. The STAT3 expression level was highest in growth hormone adenoma when compared with other tumors including prolactin,follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone-secreting adenoma,and adrenocorticotrophic hormone-secreting adenoma. The follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone adenomas exhibited the lowest STAT3 expression levels.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>STAT3 is differentially expressed in pituitary adenoma subtypes, suggesting the cell-specific features of STAT3 regulation,although further investigations are still warranted to clarify the underlying mechanisms.</p>

Treatment of pituitary adenomas invading cavernous sinus with neuroendoscopy assisted by multiple techniques / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effectiveness of treating giant pituitary adenomas invading cavernous sinus with neuroendoscopy assisted by multiple techniques.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 72 patients who underwent neuroendoscopic surgery and 55 patients who underwent microscopic surgery for giant pituitary adenomas were enrolled in this retrospective analysis. Both groups received expanded endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach, intraoperative application of navigation, and Doppler.The clinical data of two groups were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The two groups were significantly different in total tumor removal rate, operation time, postoperative nasal patency, and postoperative recurrence rate (P=0.004, P=0.0003, P=0.000, and P=0.002, respectively), whereas the cerebrospinal fluid leakage, postoperative diabetes insipidus, and cranial nerve injury were not significantly different (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Expanded neuroendoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach assisted by multiple techniques is the preferred surgical method for giant invasive pituitary adenomas invading cavernous sinus.The lateral cavernous sinus approach and the further molecular biology research will bring more options for the treatment of invasive pituitary adenomas.</p>

Advances in medical treatment of clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas / 中国医学科学院学报

Clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas are the most common types among pituitary adenomas. These tumors are usually diagnosed in their later stages due to the absence of clinical symptoms and detectable hormonal hypersecretion. Although these tumors are benign, they are hard to be completely removed during neurosurgery due to the massive invasion into the surrounding tissues at diagnosis. Furthermore, relapse is common. In recent years, medical treatment of pituitary adenomas has witnessed a rapid development. New medications have shown certain effectiveness in reducing the tumor size and improving the clinical symptoms.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein gene and familial isolated pituitary adenomas / 中国医学科学院学报

Familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) is an autosomal dominant disease, characterized by low penetrance, early-onset disease, more invasive tumor growth, as well as somatotroph and lactotroph adenomas in most cases. It has been indicated that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene is a tumor suppressor gene. Many heterozygous mutations have been discovered in AIP in about 20% of FIPA families. However, the exact molecular mechanism by which its disfunction promotes tumorigenesis of pituitary is unclear.

Advances in pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas.

Along with the rapid development of molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, and immunology, there is a new understanding on the pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas. The pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas is considered to be related with gene mutation, growth factors, cell receptors, transcription factors, and cellular signaling pathways.