[Gonadotropic adenoma. Clinical and hormonal characteristics]

The main clinical and hormonal features of gonadotropin secreting adenomas (GSA) are reviewed through the literature and our personal data. There is still no agreement about their definition and frequency. The most classical clinical presentation is that of men aged 50 years or more, bearing a large pituitary adenoma, the only biological expression of which is a moderately elevated serum FSH level. Female cases are less recognised and are underestimated because the serum LH and/or FSH elevated levels are not informative in menopausal women. The assay of the alpha subunit may help in these cases. In premenopausal women, few of them having been described so far, the GSA may be revealed by an amenorrhea-galactorrhea syndrome with a mild hyperprolactinaemia which may result from different mechanisms. The absence of gonadal hyperactivity, and, conversely, the frequent hypogonadism associated with GSA lead the clinician to raise some questions: are all GSA able to secret gonadotropins? How is the bioactivity of the LH and/or FSH secreted by GSA? How reliable are the radioimmunoassays routinely used for measurement of LH and FSH in patient's serum? Furthermore, therapeutical management of GSA is still impaired by the lack of documented medical treatments which could control their growth and prevent their recurrence.