Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors with PIT1/SF1 co-expression show distinct clinicopathological and molecular features

Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors with PIT1/SF1 co-expression show distinct clinicopathological and molecular features

2024 | Matthias Dottermusch, Alice Ryba, Franz L. Ricklefs, Jörg Flitsch, Simone Schmid, Markus Glatzel, Wolfgang Saeger, Julia E. Neumann, Ulrich Schüller
This study investigates the clinicopathological, molecular, and clinical features of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) with co-expression of PIT1 and SF1, which are typically classified as "plurihormonal" according to the current WHO 2022 classification. The authors compiled an in-house case series of 100 tumors previously diagnosed as somatotroph PitNETs and found that 74% of densely granulated somatotroph PitNETs (DGST) co-expressed PIT1 and SF1 (DGST-PIT1/SF1). In contrast, none of the sparsely granulated somatotroph PitNETs (SGST) stained positive for SF1. Histopathological analysis revealed that DGST-PIT1/SF1 tumors had fewer fibrous bodies and less FSH/LH expression compared to DGST-PIT1 tumors. Molecular analyses, including DNA methylation and copy number profiles, confirmed that DGST-PIT1/SF1, DGST-PIT1, and SGST-PIT1 represent distinct tumor subtypes. Clinicopathological meta-analyses indicated that DGST-PIT1 tumors responded more favorably to treatment with somatostatin analogs compared to DGST-PIT1/SF1 tumors, while both subtypes showed a less aggressive clinical course than SGST-PIT1 tumors. The study highlights the distinct nature of DGST-PIT1/SF1 tumors and calls for a refinement of the WHO classification to better reflect their unique characteristics. The authors propose the term "somatogonadotroph PitNET" for DGST-PIT1/SF1 tumors.This study investigates the clinicopathological, molecular, and clinical features of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) with co-expression of PIT1 and SF1, which are typically classified as "plurihormonal" according to the current WHO 2022 classification. The authors compiled an in-house case series of 100 tumors previously diagnosed as somatotroph PitNETs and found that 74% of densely granulated somatotroph PitNETs (DGST) co-expressed PIT1 and SF1 (DGST-PIT1/SF1). In contrast, none of the sparsely granulated somatotroph PitNETs (SGST) stained positive for SF1. Histopathological analysis revealed that DGST-PIT1/SF1 tumors had fewer fibrous bodies and less FSH/LH expression compared to DGST-PIT1 tumors. Molecular analyses, including DNA methylation and copy number profiles, confirmed that DGST-PIT1/SF1, DGST-PIT1, and SGST-PIT1 represent distinct tumor subtypes. Clinicopathological meta-analyses indicated that DGST-PIT1 tumors responded more favorably to treatment with somatostatin analogs compared to DGST-PIT1/SF1 tumors, while both subtypes showed a less aggressive clinical course than SGST-PIT1 tumors. The study highlights the distinct nature of DGST-PIT1/SF1 tumors and calls for a refinement of the WHO classification to better reflect their unique characteristics. The authors propose the term "somatogonadotroph PitNET" for DGST-PIT1/SF1 tumors.
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[slides and audio] Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors with PIT1%2FSF1 co-expression show distinct clinicopathological and molecular features