help button home button Endocrine Society JCEM JCEM Call for Nominations for EIC
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS

This Article
Right arrow Submit a related Letter to the Editor
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Oppenheim, D. S.
Right arrow Articles by Klibanski, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Oppenheim, D. S.
Right arrow Articles by Klibanski, A.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 70, 859-864, Copyright © 1990 by Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

Prevalence of alpha-subunit hypersecretion in patients with pituitary tumors: clinically nonfunctioning and somatotroph adenomas

DS Oppenheim, AR Kana, JS Sangha and A Klibanski
Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.

Hypersecretion of the pituitary glycoprotein hormone alpha-subunit has been reported in pituitary adenomas, particularly in clinically nonfunctioning tumors and somatotroph adenomas. However, the prevalence of such hypersecretion has not been precisely defined. Using both a new highly sensitive and specific monoclonal antibody assay and a polyclonal antibody assay, serum levels of free alpha-subunit were compared in 63 unselected patients with these tumors, 19 patients with acromegaly, and 95 normal controls. In all patients the monoclonal assay detected a significantly greater number of subjects with elevated alpha-subunit levels than did the polyclonal assay (21 vs. 14; P less than 0.01). Fourteen of the 63 patients with clinically nonfunctioning tumors (22%) had elevated serum alpha-subunit levels in the monoclonal assay vs. 11 (17%) in the polyclonal assay. Among the 19 patients with acromegaly, the prevalence was 7 (37%) and 3 (16%) using the monoclonal and polyclonal assays, respectively. Twenty-eight (44%) of the patients with clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas were female. Eleven (39%) of the women were under 45 yr old, as were 10 (29%) of the men. We conclude that the prevalence of free alpha-subunit hypersecretion in patients with clinically nonfunctioning and somatotroph adenomas may be higher than previously recognized, and that a sensitive and specific monoclonal antibody free alpha-subunit assay may provide a useful tumor marker in these patients. The prevalence of clinically nonfunctioning pituitary tumors among younger men and women may also have been previously under-estimated.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
R. A. Abbud, I. Takumi, E. M Barker, S.-G. Ren, D.-Y. Chen, K. Wawrowsky, and S. Melmed
Early Multipotential Pituitary Focal Hyperplasia in the {alpha}-Subunit of Glycoprotein Hormone-Driven Pituitary Tumor-Transforming Gene Transgenic Mice
Mol. Endocrinol., May 1, 2005; 19(5): 1383 - 1391.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
C. J. McCabe, N. J. Gittoes, M. C. Sheppard, and J. A. Franklyn
Thyroid Receptor {alpha}1 and {alpha}2 Mutations in Nonfunctioning Pituitary Tumors
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 1999; 84(2): 649 - 653.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
E. J. Lee, L. M. Anderson, B. Thimmapaya, and J. L. Jameson
Targeted Expression of Toxic Genes Directed by Pituitary Hormone Promoters: A Potential Strategy for Adenovirus-Mediated Gene Therapy of Pituitary Tumors
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 1999; 84(2): 786 - 794.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
E. Baudin, J.-M. Bidart, P. Rougier, V. Lazar, P. Ruffié, J. Ropers, M. Ducreux, F. Troalen, J.-C. Sabourin, E. Comoy, et al.
Screening for Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 and Hormonal Production in Apparently Sporadic Neuroendocrine Tumors
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 1999; 84(1): 69 - 75.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
J. T. King Jr., A. C. Justice, and D. C. Aron
Management of Incidental Pituitary Microadenomas: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., November 1, 1997; 82(11): 3625 - 3632.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
N. J. L. Gittoes, C. J. McCabe, J. Verhaeg, M. C. Sheppard, and J. A. Franklyn
Thyroid Hormone and Estrogen Receptor Expression in Normal Pituitary and Nonfunctioning Tumors of the Anterior Pituitary
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., June 1, 1997; 82(6): 1960 - 1967.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
P. Chanson, J. Pantel, J. Young, B. Couzinet, J.-M. Bidart, and G. Schaison
Free Luteinizing-Hormone Beta-Subunit in Normal Subjects and Patients with Pituitary Adenomas
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., May 1, 1997; 82(5): 1397 - 1402.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Endocrinology Endocrine Reviews J. Clin. End. & Metab.
Molecular Endocrinology Recent Prog. Horm. Res. All Endocrine Journals
Copyright © 1990 by The Endocrine Society