Objectives: To examine the expression of p16 gene and the clinicopathological characteristics of 31 pituitary adenomas. To investigate the relationship between p16 expression and cell proliferative activity by analyzing the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigens (PCNA).
Methods: Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization were performed on freshly-prepared paraffin-embedded specimens of 31 pituitary adenomas.
Results: Varying degrees of overexpression of the p16 gene was found in the tumors specimens. A higher proportion of p16 positive tumor cells was associated with bigger size, more frequent invasion and higher recurrence of the tumors. The expression of p16 was found to be significantly associated with the degree of PCNA expression.
Conclusion: Though inactivation of the p16 gene is known in wide range of tumors, our study suggested that p16 overexpression might play a role in the development and progression of pituitary adenomas.