title: TERT Expression in Pituitary Adenomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although pituitary adenomas have benign histomorphological features, some of them may present in an aggressive manner. To predict the behaviour of these tumours, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) activity in pituitary adenomas has been the subject of a few studies with contradictory results. This study aims to investigate whether immunohistochemical expression of TERT differs in neoplastic and nonneoplastic pituitary tissues and aims to investigate whether TERT expression is related to clinicopathological features of pituitary adenomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 48 patients who had been diagnosed with pituitary adenomas and had clinical follow-ups. Nonneoplastic pituitary tissues were obtained from autopsy specimens (n=20). Immunohistochemistry for TERT antibody was performed. Both the nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of TERT antibody was noted, and total combined TERT staining was evaluated according to nuclear and cytoplasmic stainings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TERT expression did not differ between neoplastic and nonneoplastic pituitary tissues. Neither total (combined nuclear and cytoplasmic) TERT nor nuclear TERT expression revealed any statistically significant relationship with any of the clinicopathological features. Higher cytoplasmic TERT expression was observed in adenomas with recurrence than adenomas without recurrence (p=0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study introduces the notion that immunohistochemical expression of TERT does not differ in neoplastic and nonneoplastic pituitary tissues. Pituitary adenomas with cytoplasmic immunohistochemical expression of TERT have significantly higher rates of recurrence. Further studies, including combined methods of immunohistochemistry and molecular analyses in larger groups, may reveal applicable results for the clinical significance of TERT in pituitary adenomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Trakya University, Faculty of Medicine, EDİRNE, TURKEY.
authors.forename: Nuray
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Can
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Çelik
authors.forename: Buket Yilmaz
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Bülbül
authors.forename: Necdet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Süt
authors.forename: Filiz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Özyilmaz
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aytürk
authors.forename: Sibel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Güldiken
authors.forename: Nurtaç
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sarikaş
authors.forename: Fulya Öz
authors.initials: FÖ
authors.lastname: Puyan
authors.forename: Tülin Deniz
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Yalta
authors.forename: Ali Kemal
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Kutlu
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D019098:Telomerase / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase