title: Prevalence of hypothalamic-pituitary tumours - retrospective analysis of 20-year own material.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prevalence of pituitary tumours has recently been identified to be higher than previously thought. The aim of our study was to assess the occurrence of hypothalamic-pituitary tumours in 20-year material of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Polish Mother`s Memorial Hospital - Research Institute, Lodz, Poland.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed medical data of 845 patients, hospitalized from 1990 to 2009 due to presumptive diagnosis of hypothalamic-pituitary tumour. Among 340 cases with confirmed diagnosis, 278 tumours were classified as micro- or macroadenomas. Tumour type and size, as well as patient gender and age, were evaluated. In 252 tumours the exact volume was calculated, and 4 volume subgroups were assessed for each aforementioned parameter separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prolactinomas and - at the next place - non-functioning adenomas were the most frequent, followed by pituitary tumors of non-epithelial origin, and - finally, the rarest - other secreting adenomas. Prolactinomas were found mostly in females (p=0.028), while non-functioning adenomas in males (p=0.045). Prolactinomas and non-functioning adenomas were found to be predominantly microadenomas (p<0.0001 and p=0.0003, respectively), while mixed-type adenomas were mostly macroadenomas (p=0.028). In females microadenomas were the most frequent (p<0.0001). Moreover, in persons under 50 years of age microadenomas predominated, whereas in older adults macroadenomas mostly occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To conclude, our retrospective, single-centre study provides relevant estimates of prevalence of hypothalamic-pituitary tumours in the era of modern diagnostic tools and indicates that our data are comparable with results regarding other populations worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital - Research Institute, Lodz, Poland. alewin@csk.umed.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wojciechowska-Durczynska
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Filipowicz
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stasiak
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kokoszko-Bilska
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nowicka
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karbownik-Lewinska
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lewinski
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms; D015995:Prevalence; D015175:Prolactinoma; D012189:Retrospective Studies