Analysis of Ki67, HMGA1, MDM2, and RB expression in nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas

Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are the most prevalent type of pituitary macro-adenoma. Clarifying the relationship between NFPA markers and disease progression or recurrence could provide a basis for administration of adjuvant treatments. The present study examined the expression levels of high-mobility group (HMG)A1, Ki-67, mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2), and retinoblastoma (RB)with respect to NFPA recurrence. Immunohistochemistry was carried out using antibodies to Ki-67, MDM2, HMGA-1, and RB on tissue microarray slides of a cohort of 35 paired NFPA samples of primary and recurrence/regrowth tumors. Based on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging data, tumors were classified as recurrence (n = 20) included primary and recurrent tumors or regrowth (n = 15) included primary and regrowth tumors, which are paired. Protein expression was classified as negative or positive according to the H-score method and was analyzed with respect to clinical and pathological findings. MDM2-positive cases accounted for11/20 primary and 19/20 s recurrent tumors (χ² = 8.533, P = 0.003), and 9/15 primary tumors and 15/15 s regrowth tumors (χ² = 7.5, P = 0.006). MGA1-positive cases represented 9/20 primary tumors and 16/20 s recurrent tumors (χ² = 5.227, P = 0.022), and 4/15 primary tumors and 12/15 s regrowth tumors (χ² = 8.571, P = 0.003). There was no statistically significant difference in Ki-67 expression between primary and second recurrent/regrowth tumors although theKi67 labeling index was higher in the latter groups. RB was highly expressed in all groups with no significant difference between them. HMGA1 and MDM2 were more highly expressed in recurrence/regrowth cases of NFPA than in primary NFPA. HMGA1 and MDM2 are biomarkers and potential drug targets for NFPA treatment.