ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Journal of Neurosurgical Sciences 2001 June;45(2):70-4

Copyright © 2001 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Hyperprolactinaemia and prolactine binding in benign intracranial tumours

Ciccarelli E. ¹, Razzore P. ¹, Gaia D. ¹, Todaro C. ², Longo A. ², Forni M. ³, Ghè C. ⁴, Camanni F. ¹, Muccioli G. ⁴, FAccani G. ², Lanotte M. M. ²

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Turin, Turin; ² Division of Neurosurgery, CTO Hospital, Turin; ³ Division of Pathological Anatomy, Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital, Turin; ⁴ Department of Anatomy, Pharmacology and Forensic Medicine, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Background. Meningiomas ­have ­been ­found to ­have recep­tors for sev­er­al hor­mones, ­such as oes­tro­gen, pro­ges­te­rone, som­a­tos­ta­tin, dop­a­mine and recent­ly ­also for pro­lac­tin.
Methods. To inves­ti­gate any pos­sible ­role of pro­lac­tin in the ­growth of ­those ­tumours we detect­ed the pres­ence of pro­lac­tin-recep­tors (PRL-R) in 22 menin­gio­mas and we cor­re­lat­ed ­these ­data ­with PRL ser­um lev­els in ­patients ­before sur­gery. We ­also stud­ied 13 ­patients ­with schwan­no­mas and 7 ­with oth­er cere­bral ­tumours (4 gli­o­blas­to­mas, 2 epen­dy­mo­mas and 1 astro­cy­to­ma).
Results. Increased pro­lac­tin bind­ing was ­present in 10 (45.4%) menin­gio­mas, 9 (69.2%) schwan­no­mas and in the ­patient ­with astro­cy­to­ma. The pres­ence of ­high PRL lev­els was ­present in 6 (27.2%) ­patients ­with menin­gio­mas, 8 (61.5%) ­with schwan­no­mas and in 3 (42.8%) ­with oth­er ­tumours. No ­direct cor­re­la­tion was ­present ­between ser­um PRL lev­els and PRL bind­ing in all ­groups.
Conclusions. In con­clu­sion we con­firmed the pres­ence of PRL recep­tors in ­patients ­with menin­gio­mas and we ­have ­also ­shown the pres­ence of PRL recep­tors ­also in schwan­no­mas. Moreover ­increased ser­um PRL ­were ­shown in ­some ­patients ­with dif­fer­ent ­tumours of ner­vous tis­sue ­before sur­gery. Our ­data ­could sug­gest ­that PRL ­might ­have a ­role in the ­growth of menin­gio­mas and schwan­no­mas.