title: [Natural history study of postoperative residual non-functioning pituitary adenomas].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the postoperative residual non-functioning pituitary adenomas (PR-NFPAs) without postoperative radiotherapy and to analyze the natural history of PR-NFPAs' growth in order to provide a basis for selecting appropriate strategies of clinical treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the natural history of 20 patients with PR-NFPAs who did not receive postoperative radiotherapy and drug therapy. Through MRI images, the residual tumor volumes of those patients were serially measured. We further calculated the monthly growth rate and the tumor volume doubling time (TVDT) and analyzed the correlations between the patient age, gender, volume of residual tumor, cavernous sinus (CS) invasion and TVDT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients received observation alone. Among which, 17 adenomas increased in volume and 3 remained unchanged during a follow-up period of 7 months to 17 years (mean 3.90 yr). The mean patient age was 41.8 years. As to 17 patients with tumor regrowth, the tumor volume at the beginning of MRI observation period was 4.73 cm(3) and tumor volume at the last MRI observation was 16.98 cm(3). During the mean 4-year follow-up period, the average monthly growth rate of PR-NFPAs was 7.87% and the mean TVDT was 724 days. Such factors as patient age, gender, volume of residual tumor and CS invasion did not affect the TVDT of PR-NFPAs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tumor growth rate of PR-NFPAs is not significantly correlated with the patient gender, age, volume of residual tumor and CS invasion. In conjunctions with the volume of PR-NFPAs and the distance between residual adenoma and optic chiasm, we should take the TVDT into consideration and determine the appropriate and safe follow-up period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou 325000, China. zhebaowu@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Zhe-bao
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Qing-ping
authors.initials: QP
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.forename: Cheng-de
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhi-Peng
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Jin-sen
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wei-ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Qi-chuan
authors.initials: QC
authors.lastname: Zhuge
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000473:pathology*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D055815:Young Adult