Prolactinomas
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Prolactinomas
A prolactinoma is a tumor (adenoma) of the pituitary gland that produces the hormone prolactin. It is the most common type of functioning pituitary tumor. Symptoms of prolactinoma are due to abnormally high levels of prolactin in the blood (hyperprolactinemia), or due to pressure of the tumor on surrounding brain tissue and/or the optic nerves. Based on its size, a prolactinoma may be classified as a microprolactinoma (10mm diameter). Signs and symptoms The most common symptoms at the time of diagnosis often differ between males and females. Women tend to experience more symptoms related directly to prolactin levels, such as an absense of menstruation and lactation outside of nursing or recent childbirth. By contrast, men frequently exhibit fertility issues and hormonal disruptions, such as a loss of libido, but are also more likely to show signs of the tumor compressing their brain tissue, such as headaches, vision changes, and other symptoms outlined below. The symptoms due ...
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Hyperprolactinemia
Hyperprolactinaemia (also spelled hyperprolactinemia) is a condition characterized by abnormally high levels of prolactin in the blood. In women, normal prolactin levels average to about 13 ng/mL, while in men, they average 5 ng/mL. The upper normal limit of serum prolactin is typically between 15 and 25 ng/mL for both genders. Levels exceeding this range indicate hyperprolactinemia. Prolactin (PRL) is a peptide hormone produced by lactotroph cells in the anterior pituitary gland. It plays a vital role in lactation and breast development. Hyperprolactinemia, characterized by abnormally high levels of prolactin, may cause galactorrhea (production and spontaneous flow of breast milk), infertility, and menstrual disruptions in women. In men, it can lead to hypogonadism, infertility and erectile dysfunction. Prolactin is crucial for milk production during pregnancy and lactation. Together with estrogen, progesterone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and horm ...
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Prolactin
Prolactin (PRL), also known as lactotropin and mammotropin, is a protein best known for its role in enabling mammals to produce milk. It is influential in over 300 separate processes in various vertebrates, including humans. Prolactin is secreted from the pituitary gland in response to eating, mating, estrogen treatment, ovulation and nursing. It is secreted heavily in pulses in between these events. Prolactin plays an essential role in metabolism, regulation of the immune system and pancreatic development. Discovered in non-human animals around 1930 by Oscar Riddle and confirmed in humans in 1970 by Henry Friesen, prolactin is a peptide hormone, encoded by the ''PRL'' gene. In mammals, prolactin is associated with milk production; in fish it is thought to be related to the control of water and salt balance. Prolactin also acts in a cytokine-like manner and as an important regulator of the immune system. It has important cell cycle-related functions as a growth-, diffe ...
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Adenoma
An adenoma is a benign tumor of epithelium, epithelial tissue with glandular origin, glandular characteristics, or both. Adenomas can grow from many glandular organ (anatomy), organs, including the adrenal glands, pituitary gland, thyroid, prostate, and others. Some adenomas grow from epithelial tissue in nonglandular areas but express glandular tissue structure (as can happen in familial polyposis coli). Although adenomas are benign, they should be treated as pre-cancerous. Over time adenomas may malignant transformation, transform to become malignancy, malignant, at which point they are called adenocarcinomas. Most adenomas do not transform. However, even though benign, they have the potential to cause serious health complications by compressing other structures (mass effect (medicine), mass effect) and by producing large amounts of hormones in an unregulated, non-feedback-dependent manner (causing paraneoplastic syndromes). Some adenomas are too small to be seen macroscopically ...
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Pituitary Tumor
Pituitary adenomas are tumors that occur in the pituitary gland. Most pituitary tumors are benign, approximately 35% are invasive and just 0.1% to 0.2% are carcinomas.Pituitary Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version
NIH National Cancer Institute
Pituitary adenomas represent from 10% to 25% of all intracranial , with an estimated prevalence rate in the general population of approximately 17%. Non-invasive and non-secreting pituitary adenomas are considered to be

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Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1 aka Wermer Syndrome) is one of a group of disorders, the multiple endocrine neoplasias, that affect the endocrine system through development of neoplastic lesions in pituitary, parathyroid gland and pancreas. Individuals suffering from this disorder are prone to developing multiple endocrine and nonendocrine tumors. It was first described by Paul Wermer in 1954. Signs and symptoms Parathyroid Hyperparathyroidism is present in ≥ 90% of patients. Asymptomatic hypercalcemia is the most common manifestation: about 25% of patients have evidence of nephrolithiasis or nephrocalcinosis. In contrast to sporadic cases of hyperparathyroidism, diffuse hyperplasia or multiple adenomas are more common than solitary adenomas. Pancreas Pancreatic islet cell tumors are today the major cause of death in persons with MEN-1. Tumors occur in 60-80% of persons with MEN-1 and they are usually multicentric. Multiple adenomas or diffuse islet cell hyperpla ...
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Familial Isolated Pituitary Adenoma
Pituitary adenomas are tumors that occur in the pituitary gland. Most pituitary tumors are benign, approximately 35% are invasive and just 0.1% to 0.2% are carcinomas.Pituitary Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version
NIH National Cancer Institute
Pituitary adenomas represent from 10% to 25% of all intracranial , with an estimated prevalence rate in the general population of approximately 17%. Non-invasive and non-secreting pituitary adenomas are considered to be

MEN1
Menin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''MEN1'' gene. Menin is a putative tumor suppressor associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1 syndrome) and has autosomal dominant inheritance. Variations in the MEN1 gene can cause pituitary adenomas, hyperparathyroidism, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, gastrinoma, and adrenocortical cancers. ''In vitro'' studies have shown that menin is localized to the nucleus, possesses two functional nuclear localization signals, and inhibits transcriptional activation by JunD. However, the function of this protein is not known. Two messages have been detected on northern blots but the larger message has not been characterized. Two variants of the shorter transcript have been identified where alternative splicing affects the coding sequence. Five variants where alternative splicing takes place in the 5' UTR have also been identified. History In 1988, researchers at Uppsala University Hospital and the Karolinska I ...
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Galactorrhea
Galactorrhea ( also spelled galactorrhoea) ( galacto- + -rrhea) or lactorrhea ( lacto- + -rrhea) is the spontaneous flow of milk from the breast, unassociated with childbirth or nursing. Galactorrhea is reported to occur in 5–32% of females. Much of the difference in reported incidence can be attributed to different definitions of galactorrhea. Although frequently benign, it may be caused by serious underlying conditions and should be properly investigated. Galactorrhea also occurs in males, newborn infants and adolescents of both sexes. Causes Galactorrhea can take place as a result of dysregulation of certain hormones. Hormonal causes most frequently associated with galactorrhea are hyperprolactinemia and thyroid conditions with elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) or thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). No obvious cause is found in about 50% of cases. Lactation requires the presence of prolactin, and the evaluation of galactorrhea includes eliciting a h ...
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Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 4
Multiple may refer to: Economics *Multiple finance, a method used to analyze stock prices *Multiples of the price-to-earnings ratio *Chain stores, are also referred to as 'Multiples' *Box office multiple, the ratio of a film's total gross to that of its opening weekend Sociology *Multiples (sociology), a theory in sociology of science by Robert K. Merton, see Science *Multiple (mathematics), multiples of numbers *List of multiple discoveries, instances of scientists, working independently of each other, reaching similar findings *Multiple birth, because having twins is sometimes called having "multiples" *Multiple sclerosis, an inflammatory disease *Parlance for people with multiple identities, sometimes called "multiples"; often theorized as having dissociative identity disorder *Multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell (WBC) called plasma cells. Printing *Printmaking, where ''multiple'' is often used as a term for a print, especially in the US ...
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Sporadic Disease
In infectious disease epidemiology, a sporadic disease is an infectious disease which occurs only infrequently, haphazardly, irregularly, or occasionally, from time to time in a few isolated places, with no discernible temporal or spatial pattern, as opposed to a recognizable epidemic outbreak or endemic pattern. The cases are so few (single or in a cluster) and separated so widely in time and place that there exists little or no discernable connection within them. They also do not show a recognizable common source of infection.According to : "...sporadic cases do not necessarily share a single specific common contaminated source..." In the discussion of non-infectious diseases, a sporadic disease is a non-communicable disease (such as cancer) which occurs in people without any family history of that disease or without any inherited genetic predisposition for the disease (change in DNA which increases the risk of having that disease). Sporadic non-infectious diseases arise not due ...
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Tumor
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists in growing abnormally, even if the original trigger is removed. This abnormal growth usually forms a mass, which may be called a tumour or tumor.'' ICD-10 classifies neoplasms into four main groups: benign neoplasms, in situ neoplasms, malignant neoplasms, and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior. Malignant neoplasms are also simply known as cancers and are the focus of oncology. Prior to the abnormal growth of tissue, such as neoplasia, cells often undergo an abnormal pattern of growth, such as metaplasia or dysplasia. However, metaplasia or dysplasia does not always progress to neoplasia and can occur in other conditions as well. The word neoplasm is from Ancient Greek 'new' and 'formation, creation'. Types A neopla ...
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