Endocrine-Related Cancer (1998) 5 131-150 Pituitary, adrenal and thyroid incidentalomas H E Turner, N R Moore1, J V Byrne1 and J A H Wass Departments of Endocrinology and 1Radiology, Radcliffe Infirmary and University of Oxford, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HE UK (Requests for offprints should be addressed to J A H Wass) Introduction depends on the method of detection - whether it is based The use of increasingly sophisticated imaging techniques on an autopsy series of patients assumed to be asympto- has produced a new clinical problem; namely the matic, or on a series of patients undergoing imaging of the evaluation and management of the serendipitously head. discovered mass - ‘incidentaloma’. In the last 50 years of endocrinology, these lesions have been described mainly Autopsy studies in the adrenal and pituitary glands by pathologists on the basis of autopsy studies of patients assumed to have been In 1936, Costello published the results of an examination asymptomatic. The current challenge is the investigation of 100 pituitary glands at post-mortem, in which small of these lesions, which are now more frequently detected adenomas were found in 22.5% of cases using sections of during life, to allow not only the correct identification and up to 1.5 mm in size (Costello 1936). Costello called these investigation of those with a hypersecretory syndrome, tumours ‘subclinical adenomas’ and found them to be whether it be clinically apparent or subclinical, but also the equally distributed between the sexes. They become more correct identification of those masses which are malignant common with increasing age (Parent et al. 1981). Other and which may therefore produce significant problems in autopsy studies have shown that between 1.5 and 26.7% the future. As more experience is gained on the natural of pituitaries examined in subjects not suspected of having history of the true incidentaloma, appropriate follow-up pituitary disease harbour adenomas (Molitch & Russell and treatment can be instigated as necessary. The rationale 1990). The reason for this wide variation in frequency may of investigations therefore should be to evaluate most partly be due to different slice thickness used to examine accurately and cost-effectively which patients do not have the pituitary. The majority of studies suggest a frequency an incidentaloma, but a lesion that requires further active of between 10 and 20%. A recent study of 1000 pituitary treatment. glands using the same section thickness as Costello found Terminology may be confusing, as ‘incidentaloma’ incidental lesions in 178 (18%) glands, and in one-third and ‘incidentally discovered’, and ‘subclinical’ have these were >2 mm in diameter (Teramoto et al. 1994). The been used, often interchangeably in this context. While a lower prevalence of incidental findings in this study pituitary macroadenoma or adrenal carcinoma may be compared with the Costello data may in part be due to incidentally discovered, we believe that they should not be classification of areas of hyperplasia as adenomas in the described as incidentalomas. This term should be reserved original paper. An analysis of 12 autopsy studies reported for those lesions which are incidentally discovered, that that there were only three incidental macroadenomas have no associated hormonal hyper- or hyposecretion, and detected (all <15 mm), out of a total of 9737 pituitaries that have a benign natural history. The incidental radio- examined (Molitch & Russell 1990). Interestingly two of logical discovery of a mass may be one of clinical these larger tumours were found in the series of patients relevance in a patient for example subsequently found to aged over 80 at post-mortem (Kovacs et al. 1980). This be hyperprolactinaemic, although hitherto asymptomatic - series showed a frequency of pituitary adenomas of 13%, perhaps a better term for these lesions is ‘subclinical’ to and 9 out of the 17 adenomas examined (53%) immuno- differentiate them from the true incidentaloma. stained for prolactin (PRL). Pituitary Therefore, pituitary microadenomas are a common finding at autopsy, and appear to become commoner with Epidemiology increasing age. Incidental macroadenomas are in contrast The vast majority of pituitary incidentalomas are micro- uncommon, and also appear to be commoner in older age- adenomas (<1 cm in diameter). Their reported prevalence groups. Endocrine-Related Cancer (1998) 5 131-150 © 1998 Society for Endocrinology Printed in Great Britain 1351-0088/98/005-131 $08.00/0 131 Downloaded from Bioscientifica.com at 09/29/2021 09:23:43AM via free access Turner et al.: Pituitary, adrenal and thyroid incidentalomas Imaging studies had mesoadenomas (tumour diameter 11-20 mm) and The detection of incidental pituitary lesions on imaging showed no increase in tumour size during follow-up. All depends on the technique, use of contrast agents, and the the patients with microadenomas that had been detected slice thickness used. The true prevalence of asymptomatic incidentally on imaging for reasons such as vertigo, adenomas is probably higher than detected in many concussion and syncope, were asymptomatic with normal imaging studies, because of the limited sensitivity of pituitary function, and no visual field abnormalities. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for small tumours, Thus after detailed endocrine and visual examination, and this may explain why the reported prevalence is higher macroadenomas, even if they present serendipitously, in an autopsy population. This is illustrated by a recent have usually produced significant effects, mesoadenomas autopsy study of 1000 pituitary glands, where 178 (18%) may do so and microadenomas have rarely done so. glands harboured incidental tumours, but only 61 (6%) were >2 mm in size and thus likely to be visible on Pathology computed tomography (CT) or MRI (Teramoto et al. Positive immunostaining for PRL was shown in 34/81 1994). MRI with gadolinium-diethylenetriamine penta- adenomas (42%) in an analysis of pituitary adenomas acetic acid (Gd-DTPA) administration demonstrated detected at autopsy (Molitch & Russell 1990). McComb et asymptomatic pituitary adenomas in 10% of normal al. (1983) compared the pattern of immunostaining of the volunteers aged 18-60 years (Hall et al. 1994). A study tumours found at autopsy with those removed surgically, using CT scans with contrast enhancement identified and showed that there was a marked difference (Table 1). probable adenomas in 12/107 (11.2%) normal women The majority in the subclinical/autopsy series were (Wolpert et al. 1984). Chong et al. (1994) found focal negative (54%) or PRL staining (42%) whereas only 25% pituitary hypointensities in 40% of healthy volunteers on of the surgical series were null cell adenomas and 29% T1-weighted spin echo MRI, but found that in the majority PRL staining. There was a higher number of growth they could be differentiated from pituitary microadenomas hormone (GH) positive, adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) by their smaller size and less marked degree of signal and mixed GH/PRL staining adenomas in the surgical difference relative to the pituitary gland. series (McComb et al. 1983). This difference is obviously Incidental pituitary macroadenomas have occasionally in part due to the fact that prolactinomas often do not been reported, where a tumour >1 cm in diameter has been require surgery, and also because the secretory tumours detected when imaging for non-endocrine indications, for are likely to present with clinical effects during life. example a head injury or seizures (Chacko & Chandy It is not uncommon for multiple adenomas to be 1992). However, these are not true incidentalomas, as detected in the pituitaries found to harbour incidentalomas illustrated by a series of five cases, where three patients - 3/42 subjects in one study (Parent et al. 1981), 2/20 in had hypopituitarism and four of the patients underwent another (Kovacs et al. 1980) and 7/100 subjects in another surgery (Chacko & Chandy 1992). Reincke et al. (1990) (McComb et al. 1983). The significance of this is unclear, report 18 patients with ‘incidentalomas’ of the pituitary. but the tumours do not necessarily have the same immuno- Four patients in this series required neurosurgery - two staining characteristics. because of visual field defects, one because of displace- ment of the chiasm by the tumour, and one who had biochemical evidence of acromegaly. Three of the cases Natural history not requiring neurosurgery were luteinising hormone/ Follow-up data of incidentally detected microadenomas follicle-stimulating hormone deficient. It is therefore show that they very rarely show significant enlargement, incorrect in our view to describe all these tumours as true whereas larger incidentalomas are more likely to enlarge incidentalomas. Four of the truly asymptomatic patients (Table 2). The data from Reincke et al. (1990) show that Table 1 Pattern of immunostaining of pituitary tumours found at autopsy and removed surgically. Type of study Negative PRL positive GH positive ACTH positive Reference Autopsy 42% (34/81) Molitch & Russell (1990) Autopsy 41% (7/17) 55% (9/17) 1 GH and PRL 0 Kovacs et al. (1980) Autopsy 50% (54/107) 42% (45/107) McComb et al. (1983) Surgical 25.1% (152/606) 29% (176/606) 16.2% (98/606) 8.4% (51/606) McComb et al .(1983) PRL and Silent 6% (36) GH 9.2% (56) 132 Downloaded from Bioscientifica.com at 09/29/2021 09:23:43AM via free access Endocrine-Related Cancer (1998) 5 131-150 during a mean follow-up of 30 months (range 12-96), only useful to know more about the natural history of pituitary one of seven patients with incidentally detected micro- microincidentalomas, particularly whether there is a adenomas showed tumour enlargement from 5 to 9 mm significant rate of spontaneous resolution, as the autopsy (Reincke et al. 1990) (Table 2). One of the four patients studies show that at least one-third of these tumours are with a larger (11-20 mm in diameter) incidentaloma, with prolactinomas. normal visual fields, showed tumour enlargement from 14 to 20 mm during mean follow-up of 26 months (range 17- Differential diagnosis 48).