Epidemiology

Pituitary adenomas are histologically the second most common intracranial neoplasm. The most frequently reported histology overall is meningioma (39.0%), followed by tumours of the pituitary (17.1%) and glioblastoma (14.3%).[15] The incidence of histologically confirmed pituitary adenoma in the US is 3.23 and 3.84 cases per 100,000 per year in males and females, respectively, and in studies from Europe, Canada, and Argentina, the mean incidence is approximately 5.1 cases per 100,000 per year.[16] Rates are slightly higher in females than in males overall, although the sex disparity varies greatly by age.​[17]​ Pituitary adenomas are diagnosed at a younger age in women than in men owing to the high frequency of prolactinomas detected in females of childbearing age.​[16] In the US, incidence rates of pituitary adenoma are higher in black adults.​[17]​  

​Autopsy studies demonstrate a prevalence of incidental pituitary masses up to 27%; and cranial imaging by MRI indicates a prevalence of about 10%. The majority (99%) of these pituitary tumors are small and clinically nonfunctional; only 0.4% are macroadenomas.[18] Clinically nonfunctional pituitary adenomas (CNFPAs) account for 14% to 54% of pituitary adenomas.[8] The estimated incidence is 5.6 cases per million per year.[19] They are the second most common form of adenoma, following prolactinomas, in most epidemiological studies.[8] 

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