Context: Pituitary adenomas are relatively rare occurrences in the pediatric population, and there are few studies documenting the profile of these tumors in this age group.
Objective: To study the clinical and pathologic features of pediatric pituitary adenomas in conjunction with a review of the available literature.
Design: A retrospective clinicopathologic review of 20 pediatric patients (younger than 20 years of age) with pituitary adenomas resected during a 24.5-year period (1981-2005).
Results: A total of 20 patients, including 12 females and 8 males, comprise the study group. Mean age at onset of symptoms was 14.0 years (range, 5-18 years). Four patients had onset of symptoms before the age of 12 years. The majority of patients presented with headaches (n = 12), visual disturbances (n = 12) or, in females, menstrual dysfunction (n = 9/12). Tumor size based on radiographic data was known for 19 tumors; 12 adenomas were greater than 1 cm in greatest dimension, and 7 were less than 1 cm. On follow-up, 2 patients with total gross tumor resections had recurrent adenomas; time to recurrence was 5 months and 17 months, respectively. Nine adenomas stained solely for prolactin, 5 for adrenocorticotropic hormone, and 3 for growth hormone. Two stained for growth hormone and prolactin. One did not stain with hormone antibodies.
Conclusions: Most pediatric pituitary adenomas present after the onset of puberty and present with frequent headaches, changes in visual acuity and, in females, menstrual dysfunction. Most (19/20) were secretory, with prolactinomas being the most common type.