Pituitary transcription factors in the immunohistochemical and molecular diagnosis of pituitary tumours — a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Although histopathology remains in the first line of the diagnosis of pituitary pathology, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology are currently in charge of providing a more accurate characterisation of tumours in this field. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was performed, using the PubMed and SCOPUS databases, with terms that included transcription factors involved in the development of pituitary tumours: T-PIT, PIT-1, and SF-1. RESULTS: The results showed different perspectives, but the evidence is in favour of a multifold immunohistochemical analysis that must include pituitary transcription factors for a highly accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and guidance of (multimodal) therapy. CONCLUSIONS: By using transcription factors, the understanding of the structure and function of the recently defined pituitary neuroendocrine tumours has made significant progress. This approach brings the (sub)classification of pituitary tumours, using cell types and cell lineages, with clinical and molecular implications and therapeutic results.