Abstract.
A 67-year-old woman presented with clinical features of hypercortisolism in association with an invasive pituitary macroadenoma. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing's disease was documented, and the resected tumor was chromophobic, weakly positive with periodic-Schiff reagent, and showed immunostaining for ACTH and β-endorphin in a minority of adenoma cells. Both luteinizing hormone and α-subunit staining were also observed, but no follicle-stimulating hormone reactivity was seen. Ultrastructurally, the tumor showed typical features of a gonadotroph adenoma of female type. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that ACTH was not produced in corticotrophs, but in cells with the characteristic features of gonadotrophs. This represents the second report of a plurihormonal gonadotroph adenoma producing sufficient ACTH to result in pituitary-dependent Cushing's disease.
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Revised, accepted: 29 January 2001
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Egensperger, .R., Scheithauer, .B., Horvath, .E. et al. Cushing's disease due to plurihormonal adrenocorticotropic hormone and gonadotropin-producing pituitary adenoma. Acta Neuropathol 102, 398–403 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004010100376
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004010100376