In vitro secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone by pituitary chromophobe adenomas.

Of 20 female and 14 male patients with chromophobe adenomas, 4 male patients, aged 38 to 47 years, and one female patient, aged 54, showed above normal basal plasma levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). An in vitro tissue culture study that was performed using chromophobe cells obtained from 3 of the 4 male patients and the 1 female patient showed moderate FSH secretion into the culture media. The secretion of FSH by pituitary chromophobe adenomas might be more frequent than hitherto suspected.