Abstract
Pituitary adenomas are common neoplasms. Their classification is based upon size, invasion of adjacent structures, sporadic or familial cases, biochemical activity, clinical manifestations, morphological characteristics, response to treatment and recurrence. Although they are considered benign tumors, some of them are difficult to treat due to their tendency to recur despite standardized treatment. Functional tumors present other challenges for normalizing their biochemical activity. Novel approaches for early diagnosis, as well as different perspectives on classification, may help to identify subgroups of patients with similar characteristics, creating opportunities to match each patient with the best personalized treatment option. In this paper, we present the progress in the diagnosis and classification of different subgroups of patients with pituitary tumors that may be managed with specific considerations according to their tumor subtype.
Highlights
Pituitary adenomas are benign tumors representing approximately 15–20% of intracranial neoplasms [1]
Diagnosis of pituitary tumors is advisable and their proper classification is of paramount importance for treatment and prognostic purposes [5]
Due to the fact that primary hyperparathyroidism is present in the majority of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) patients, parathyroid hyperplasia/adenoma/carcinoma should be ruled out in all cases of apparently sporadic pituitary adenomas
Summary
Progress in the diagnosis and classification of pituitary adenomas. Their classification is based upon size, invasion of adjacent structures, sporadic or familial cases, biochemical activity, clinical manifestations, morphological characteristics, response to treatment and recurrence. They are considered benign tumors, some of them are difficult to treat due to their tendency to recur despite standardized treatment. We present the progress in the diagnosis and classification of different subgroups of patients with pituitary tumors that may be managed with specific considerations according to their tumor subtype
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