Research advances in the biological characteristics of male patients with prolactinoma

Abstract:

Prolactinoma accounts for 32%-66% of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors and is a benign tumor in most cases，and it is commonly seen in women. However，prolactinoma in men is more aggressive in clinical practice，manifesting as frequent recurrence after surgery，resistance to dopamine agonists，tumor progression after radiotherapy，and pituitary carcinogenesis. This article reviews the literature on the biological characteristics of prolactinoma in male patients in recent years，and it is shown that compared with prolactinoma in female patients，prolactinoma in male patients has unique characteristics in term of cell proliferation，epithelial-mesenchymal transition，angiogenesis，and resistance to dopamine agonist due to aromatase，SF3B1 gene mutation，disruption of E-cadherin/β-catenin complex，transforming growth factor β1 system，and expression of specific genes and unstable genomes directly or indirectly through different signaling pathways. In the future，more studies are needed to further clarify the mechanism of the aggressiveness of prolactinoma in male patients and provide a more comprehensive and accurate theoretical basis for effective targeted therapy.