title: Pituitary adenoma in Carney complex: an immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and immunoelectron microscopic study.
abstract: First described in 1985, Carney complex is a rare, heritable disorder featuring abnormal skin pigmentation, cardiac and cutaneous myxoma, melanotic schwannoma of psammomatous type, and endocrine abnormalities, including pituitary adenomas. Patients with the latter present with elevated growth hormone (GH) levels and acromegaly or gigantism. Prolactin (PRL) elevation may also be seen. The authors have investigated 2 resected pituitary adenomas from patients with Carney complex. One, a 19-year-old female acromegalic with elevated GH, IgF-1, and PRL levels, had a mammosomatotroph adenoma immunoreactive for GH and PRL. Ultrastructurally, GH and PRL were present in the same secretory granules. The second patient, a 27-year-old acromegalic, had a sparsely granulated GH cell adenoma that by immuno-electron microscopy revealed GH immunoreactivity only. The lack of morphologic similarity between the 2 adenomas indicatesthat pituitary tumors in patients with Carney complex may not exhibit the same phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kurtkaya-Yapicier
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Scheithauer
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Carney
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kovacs
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Horvath
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Stratakis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vella
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: J L D
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: R V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kontogeorgos
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000172:Acromegaly / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000032:analysis; D013577:Syndrome; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D011388:Prolactin; D013006:Growth Hormone