title: Clinicopathological analysis of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas in patients younger than 25 years of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors evaluated the pathological and clinical characteristics of young patients with clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one patients (13 males and 8 females) with NFPAs who were 25 years of age or younger (mean 20 years, range 13-25 years) were retrospectively investigated. The following factors were examined: results of conventional light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy; clinical symptoms; tumor size and invasion on MRI; and clinical course after therapeutic procedures such as surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two major significant findings in young patients with NFPAs were noted. First, silent subtype 3 adenomas were common, whereas silent gonadotroph adenomas were rare. Second, silent subtype 3 adenomas in young patients tended to be clinically and radiologically aggressive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To correct the morphological diagnosis, NFPAs in young patients should be examined by immunohistochemical analysis and electron microscopy, as well as by light microscopy. The authors' results provide information that will be useful when making decisions regarding the treatment of young patients with NFPAs.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Hypothalamic and Pituitary Surgery, Seirei Yokohama Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. mitsuyama42@msn.com
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi-Okada
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inoshita
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishioka
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fukuhara
authors.forename: Shozo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010901:Pituitary Function Tests; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000097:blood; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000648:ultrastructure; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010907:Pituitary Hormones