Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Dec 22;2(1):R1-R13.
doi: 10.1530/EO-21-0033. eCollection 2022 Jan.

Pituitary tumors and the risk of other malignancies: is the relationship coincidental or causal?

Sandra Pekic  1   2 , Marko Stojanovic  1   2 , Vera Popovic  1
Affiliations
Review

Pituitary tumors and the risk of other malignancies: is the relationship coincidental or causal?

Sandra Pekic et al. Endocr Oncol. .

Abstract

Pituitary adenomas are benign neoplasms of the pituitary. The most prevalent are prolactinomas and non-functioning pituitary adenomas, followed by growth hormone- and ACTH-secreting adenomas. Most pituitary adenomas seem to be sporadic and their persistent growth is very atypical. No molecular markers predict their behavior. The occurrence of pituitary adenomas and malignancies in the same patient can be either pure coincidence or caused by shared underlying genetic susceptibility involved in tumorigenesis. Detailed family history on cancers/tumors in the first, second and third generation of family members on each side of the family has been reported in a few studies. They found an association of pituitary tumors with positive family history for breast, lung and colorectal cancer. We have reported that in about 50% of patients with pituitary adenomas, an association with positive family history for cancer has been found independent of secretory phenotype (acromegaly, prolactinoma, Cushing's disease or non-functioning pituitary adenomas). We also found earlier onset of pituitary tumors (younger age at diagnosis of pituitary tumors) in patients with a strong family history of cancer. In our recent unpublished series of 1300 patients with pituitary adenomas, 6.8% of patients were diagnosed with malignancy. The latency period between the diagnosis of pituitary adenoma and cancer was variable, and in 33% of patients, it was longer than 5 years. Besides the inherited trophic mechanisms (shared underlying genetic variants), the potential influence of shared complex epigenetic influences (environmental and behavioral factors - obesity, smoking, alcohol intake and insulin resistance) is discussed. Further studies are needed to better understand if patients with pituitary adenomas are at increased risk for cancer.

Keywords: endocrine disruptor; family history; malignancy; pituitary tumor.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of this review.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Aflorei ED, Korbonits M.2014Epidemiology and etiopathogenesis of pituitary adenomas. Journal of Neurooncology 117379–394. (10.1007/s11060-013-1354-5) - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aguiar-Oliveira MH, Oliveira FT, Pereira RM, Oliveira CR, Blackford A, Valenca EH, Santos EG, Gois-Junior MB, Meneguz Moreno RA, Araujo VPet al.2010Longevity in untreated congenital growth hormone deficiency due to a homozygous mutation in the GHRH receptor gene. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 95714–721. (10.1210/jc.2009-1879) - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alatzoglou KS, Andoniadou CL, Kelberman D, Buchanan CR, Crolla J, Arriazu MC, Roubick M, Moncet D, Martinez-Barbera JP, Dattani MT.2011SOX2 haploinsufficiency is associated with slow progressing hypothalamo-pituitary tumours. Human Mutation 321376–1380. (10.1002/humu.21606) - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Albertelli M, Nazzari E, Dotto A, Grasso LF, Sciallero S, Pirchio R, Rebora A, Boschetti M, Pivonello R, Ricci Bitti Set al.2021Possible protective role of metformin therapy on colonic polyps in acromegaly: an exploratory cross-sectional study. European Journal of Endocrinology 184419–425. (10.1530/EJE-20-0795) - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arosio M, Reimondo G, Malchiodi E, Berchialla P, Borraccino A, De Marinis L, Pivonello R, Grottoli S, Losa M, Cannavò Set al.2012Predictors of morbidity and mortality in acromegaly: an Italian survey. European Journal of Endocrinology 167189–198. (10.1530/EJE-12-0084) - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources