Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in the pathophysiology and treatment of pituitary adenomas
Eric Monsalves1, Kyle Juraschka2, Toru Tateno2
1Institute of Medical ScienceDepartment of Medical BiophysicsUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDivision of NeurosurgeryToronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst Street, 4W-439, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 2S8Ontario Cancer InstitutePrincess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaEndocrine Oncology Site GroupPrincess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and PathobiologyUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaInstitute of Medical ScienceDepartment of Medical BiophysicsUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDivision of NeurosurgeryToronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst Street, 4W-439, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 2S8Ontario Cancer InstitutePrincess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaEndocrine Oncology Site GroupPrincess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and PathobiologyUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Pituitary adenomas are common intracranial neoplasms. Patients with these tumors exhibit a wide range of clinically challenging problems, stemming either from results of sellar mass effect in pituitary macroadenoma or the diverse effects of aberrant hormone production by adenoma cells. While some patients are cured/controlled by surgical resection and/or medical therapy, a proportion of patients exhibit tumors that are refractory to current modalities. New therapeutic approaches are needed for these patients. Activation of the AKT/phophotidylinositide-3-kinase pathway, including mTOR activation, is common in human neoplasia, and a number of therapeutic approaches are being employed to neutralize activation of this pathway in human cancer. This review examines the role of this pathway in pituitary tumors with respect to tumor biology and its potential role as a therapeutic target.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
Drugs that Stabilize Microtubules

