The 2017 WHO classification of pituitary tumors

Abstract

The 2017 WHO classification of pituitary tumors is still based on structural analyses and expression of various pituitary hormones. Three innovations have to be considered: (1)The expression of pituitary transcription factors Pit‑1, T‑Pit and SF‑1. (2)The term "atypical adenoma" was replaced by "aggressive adenoma". (3)The three tumor types of the neurohypophysis (pituicytoma, spindle cell oncocytoma, granular cell tumor) are defined by their common expression of TTF‑1. Craniophyryngiomas are identified as adamantinomatous type by focal nuclear expression of β‑catenin or as papillary type by demonstration of BRAF V600E mutation. Further primary tumors of the pituitary are extremely rare. These and also the other tumors of the sellar region can be structurally very similar to pituitary adenomas but can be-nearly without exception-differentiated by immunocytochemistry.