Abstract

The vast majority of pituitary tumors are benign and occur sporadically; however, they can still result in significant morbidity and even premature mortality through mass effects and hormone dysfunction. The etiology of sporadic tumors is still poorly understood; by contrast, advances have been made in our understanding of familial pituitary adenoma syndromes in the past decade. Currently, four genes are known to be associated with familial pituitary tumor syndromes: MEN1, CDKN1B, PRKAR1A and AIP. The first three genes are associated with a variety of extrapituitary pathologies, for example, primary hyperparathyroidism with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, which might aid identification of these syndromes. By contrast, AIP mutations seem to occur in the setting of isolated familial pituitary adenomas, particularly of the growth-hormone-secreting subtype. Awareness and identification of familial pituitary tumor syndromes is important because of potential associated pathologies and important implications for family members. Here, we review the current knowledge of familial pituitary tumor syndromes.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Elston MS, McDonald KL, Clifton-Bligh RJ, Robinson BG

Institution

Cancer Genetics Laboratory, Hormones and Cancer Group, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia.

Source

Nature reviews. Endocrinology 5:8 2009 Aug pg 453-61

MeSH

Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase RIalpha Subunit
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Humans
Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia
Pituitary Neoplasms
Proto-Oncogene Proteins
Syndrome

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

Language

eng

PubMed ID

19564887