title: [The expression of MGMT in pituitary adenomas and its association with tumour aggressiveness].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the expression of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) in pituitary adenomas and its association with tumour aggressiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  From October 2011 to August 2012, all the patients with pathologically confirmed pituitary adenomas in our hospital were recruited for this study. The expression of MGMT in the tumor tissues was detected with immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 138 (including 71 male) patients participated in this study. The majority of the participants had nonfunctional (71%) and macroadenomas (92.8%). Aggressive and relapsed pituitary adenomas accounted for 31.2% and 8.7% of the cases, respectively. Low MGMT expression was found in 79 cases. The MGMT expression had no significant associations with gender, age, aggressiveness and relapse of tumors. However, prolactinomas were more likely to have low MGMT expression than nonfunctional adenomas (P = 0.025) and growth hormone adenomas (P = 0.043).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression of MGMT has no associations with the aggressiveness and relapse of pituitary adenomas. Prolactinomas are more likely to have low expression of MGMT, which indicates that temozolomide might become an alternative treatment for aggressive and dopamine resistant prolactinomas.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Pituitary Adenoma in Guangdong Province, Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Bing
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Dong-Sheng
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zhi-Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Mu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yong-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Hai-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases / Q000378:metabolism*; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases; C515491:MGMT protein, human; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes