title: Lack of demonstrable tumor growth in progressive hyperprolactinemia.
abstract: Prolactin has been regarded as an excellent tumor marker for patients harboring prolactinomas, and a significant rise in the basal prolactin level is generally regarded as being commensurate with tumor growth. This report describes a case in which the basal serum prolactin level rose from 250 ng/ml to 1,528 ng/ml over a 10-year follow-up period in the absence of definitive therapy. Three sequential contrast-enhanced direct coronal computed tomographic scans obtained over a four-year period failed to demonstrate any evidence of growth of the 5 mm microprolactinoma. Progressive hyperprolactinemia may not be synonymous with tumor growth in patients with microprolactinomas.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000568:Amenorrhea / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005687:Galactorrhea / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D006966:Hyperprolactinemia / Q000209:etiology*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D011388:Prolactin