Vessel-wall MRI in primary headaches: The role of neurogenic inflammation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate if vessel-wall magnetic resonance imaging (VW-MRI) could differentiate among primary headaches disorders, such as migraine and cluster headache (CH), and detect the presence of neurogenic inflammation. BACKGROUND: The pathophysiology of primary headaches disorders is complex and not completely clarified. The activation of nociceptive trigeminal afferents through the release of vasoactive neuropeptides, termed "neurogenic inflammation," has been hypothesized. VW-MRI can identify vessel wall changes, reflecting the inflammatory remodeling of the vessel walls despite different etiologies. METHODS: In this case series, we enrolled seven patients with migraine and eight patients with CH. They underwent a VW-MRI study before and after the intravenous administration of contrast medium, during and outside a migraine attack or cluster period. Two expert neuroradiologists analyzed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies to identify the presence of vessel wall enhancement or other vascular abnormalities. RESULTS: Fourteen out of 15 patients had no enhancement. One out of 15, with migraine, showed a focal parietal enhancement in the intracranial portion of a vertebral artery, unmodified during and outside the attack, thus attributable to atherosclerosis. No contrast enhancement attributable to neurogenic inflammation was observed in VW-MRI, both during and outside the attack/cluster in all patients. Moreover, MRI angiography registered slight diffuse vasoconstriction in one of seven patients with migraine during the attack and in one of eight patients with cluster headache during the cluster period; both patients had taken triptans as symptomatic therapy for pain. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that VW-MRI studies are negative in patients with primary headache disorders even during migraine attacks or cluster periods. The VW-MRI studies did not detect signs of neurogenic inflammation in the intracranial intradural vessels of patients with migraine or CH.

The angio-architectural features of brain arteriovenous malformations: is it possible to predict the probability of rupture?

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhage is the most devastating complication of brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs), and to date, there is still concern about the needing for treatment in case of unruptured and asymptomatic bAVM. In fact, the morbidity and mortality of treatments may exceed that of the AVM's natural history. None of the classifications and scores for bAVM allows to predict the risk of bleeding. In this study, we aimed to identify the angio-architectural characteristics of brain AVMs associated with bleeding. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated all consecutive patients diagnosed with cerebral AVMs, between January 2010 and December 2019 from our prospective bAVM database. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate relationships between angio-architectural features of ruptured and unruptured bAVMs. RESULTS: Of the 143 retrieved bAVMs, 65 were unruptured and 78 were ruptured. The univariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated statistically significant differences into angio-architectural features of unruptured and ruptured bAVMs. The multivariate logistic regression analysis fitted well (p =.113) with a good discrimination capacity (ROC = 0.83) of three independent angio-architectural features mainly related to bleeding in bAVMs: a smaller diameter of the nidus (p < .001), the absence of venous drainage alterations (p = .047), of the presence of prenidal aneurysms (p = .005). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, several features resulted related to an increased probability of rupture for bAVMs, among which the more relevant were a small diameter of the nidus, the absence of venous drainage alterations, and the presence of prenidal aneurysms.

Beyond Imaging and Genetic Signature in Glioblastoma: Radiogenomic Holistic Approach in Neuro-Oncology.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant brain tumor exhibiting rapid and infiltrative growth, with less than 10% of patients surviving over 5 years, despite aggressive and multimodal treatments. The poor prognosis and the lack of effective pharmacological treatments are imputable to a remarkable histological and molecular heterogeneity of GBM, which has led, to date, to the failure of precision oncology and targeted therapies. Identification of molecular biomarkers is a paradigm for comprehensive and tailored treatments; nevertheless, biopsy sampling has proved to be invasive and limited. Radiogenomics is an emerging translational field of research aiming to study the correlation between radiographic signature and underlying gene expression. Although a research field still under development, not yet incorporated into routine clinical practice, it promises to be a useful non-invasive tool for future personalized/adaptive neuro-oncology. This review provides an up-to-date summary of the recent advancements in the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiogenomics for the assessment of molecular markers of interest in GBM regarding prognosis and response to treatments, for monitoring recurrence, also providing insights into the potential efficacy of such an approach for survival prognostication. Despite a high sensitivity and specificity in almost all studies, accuracy, reproducibility and clinical value of radiomic features are the Achilles heel of this newborn tool. Looking into the future, investigators' efforts should be directed towards standardization and a disciplined approach to data collection, algorithms, and statistical analysis.

Endoscopic endonasal approach for loco-regional recurrent clivus chordomas.

•EEA represents an ideal approach for loco-regional recurrent CCs.•EEA is well tolerated, with preservation of patients QoL.•EEA can be considered for patients with perspectives of adjuvant therapies.•Otherwise, EEA can be considered only in selected cases with a palliative aim.

Role of endoscopic endonasal approach for craniopharyngiomas extending into the third ventricle in adults.

•EAA is an innovative, promising, safe and effective approach for 3VCPs.•Key of success is surgeon learning curve in endoscopy and patients selection.•With correct indications, EEA gives GTR and morbidity rate similar to other routes.•Clinical, tumoral and anatomical features should be considered for EEA selection.

Convolutional Neural Network Techniques for Brain Tumor Classification (from 2015 to 2022): Review, Challenges, and Future Perspectives.

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) constitute a widely used deep learning approach that has frequently been applied to the problem of brain tumor diagnosis. Such techniques still face some critical challenges in moving towards clinic application. The main objective of this work is to present a comprehensive review of studies using CNN architectures to classify brain tumors using MR images with the aim of identifying useful strategies for and possible impediments in the development of this technology. Relevant articles were identified using a predefined, systematic procedure. For each article, data were extracted regarding training data, target problems, the network architecture, validation methods, and the reported quantitative performance criteria. The clinical relevance of the studies was then evaluated to identify limitations by considering the merits of convolutional neural networks and the remaining challenges that need to be solved to promote the clinical application and development of CNN algorithms. Finally, possible directions for future research are discussed for researchers in the biomedical and machine learning communities. A total of 83 studies were identified and reviewed. They differed in terms of the precise classification problem targeted and the strategies used to construct and train the chosen CNN. Consequently, the reported performance varied widely, with accuracies of 91.63-100% in differentiating meningiomas, gliomas, and pituitary tumors (26 articles) and of 60.0-99.46% in distinguishing low-grade from high-grade gliomas (13 articles). The review provides a survey of the state of the art in CNN-based deep learning methods for brain tumor classification. Many networks demonstrated good performance, and it is not evident that any specific methodological choice greatly outperforms the alternatives, especially given the inconsistencies in the reporting of validation methods, performance metrics, and training data encountered. Few studies have focused on clinical usability.

Machine learning in neuro-oncology: toward novel development fields.

PURPOSE: Artificial Intelligence (AI) involves several and different techniques able to elaborate a large amount of data responding to a specific planned outcome. There are several possible applications of this technology in neuro-oncology. METHODS: We reviewed, according to PRISMA guidelines, available studies adopting AI in different fields of neuro-oncology including neuro-radiology, pathology, surgery, radiation therapy, and systemic treatments. RESULTS: Neuro-radiology presented the major number of studies assessing AI. However, this technology is being successfully tested also in other operative settings including surgery and radiation therapy. In this context, AI shows to significantly reduce resources and costs maintaining an elevated qualitative standard. Pathological diagnosis and development of novel systemic treatments are other two fields in which AI showed promising preliminary data. CONCLUSION: It is likely that AI will be quickly included in some aspects of daily clinical practice. Possible applications of these techniques are impressive and cover all aspects of neuro-oncology.

Predictive value of Tmax perfusion maps on final core in acute ischemic stroke: an observational single-center study.

PURPOSE: To assess utility of computed tomography perfusion (CTP) protocols for selection of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) for reperfusive treatments and compare the diagnostic accuracy (ACC) in predicting follow-up infarction, using time-to-maximum (Tmax) maps. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive AIS patients evaluated for reperfusive treatments at comprehensive stroke center, employing a multimodal computed tomography. To assess prognostic accuracy of CTP summary maps in predicting final infarct area (FIA) in AIS patients, we assumed the best correlation between non-viable tissue (NVT) and FIA in early and fully recanalized patients and/or in patients with favorable clinical response (FCR). On the other hand, the tissue at risk (TAR) should better correlate with FIA in untreated patients and in treatment failure. RESULTS: We enrolled 158 patients, for which CTP maps with Tmax thresholds of 9.5 s and 16 s, presented sensitivity of 82.5%, specificity of 74.6%, and ACC of 75.9%. In patients selected for perfusion deficit in anterior circulation territory, CTP-Tmax > 16 s has proven relatively reliable to identify NVT in FCR patients, with a tendency to overestimate NVT. Similarly, CTP-Tmax > 9.5 s was reliable for TAR, but it was overestimated comparing to FIA, in patients with unfavorable outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, Tmax thresholds have proven sufficiently reliable to identify global hypoperfusion, with tendency to overestimate both NVT and TAR, not yielding satisfactory differentiation between true penumbra and benign oligoemia. In particular, the overestimation of NVT could have serious consequences in not selecting potential candidates for a reperfusion treatment.

Distinct MRI pattern of "pseudoresponse" in recurrent glioblastoma multiforme treated with regorafenib: Case report and literature review.

Antiangiogenic agents can induce a distinct MRI pattern in glioblastoma, characterized by a decrease in the contrast enhancement on T1-weighted images and a simultaneous hyperintensity on T2-weighted or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images.

Brain and behaviour in post-acute stroke: Reduction in seeking and posterior cingulate neuronal variability.

INTRODUCTION: Stroke is a complex event on both behavioral and neuronal grounds. Recent investigations evidence the central role of subcortical damage on the post-stroke brain and behavior reorganization. We have conducted an exploratory study combining anatomical lesion analysis, functional analysis of resting state fMRI, and behavioral assessment with focus on exploration as represented by SEEKING. METHOD: 24 stroke inpatients were studied immediately after their clinical stabilization post-stroke; neuronal variability in fMRI along with behavioral outcomes were assessed. These outcomes were compared with a control group of 22 healthy subjects. RESULTS: First, we observed predominant subcortical lesions in our sample with all stroke patients showing subcortical lesions and only some exhibiting additional cortical lesions. Second, we observed significantly reduced neuronal variability in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) that did not show any structural damage. Third, our stroke subjects showed reduced SEEKING which was related to reduced PCC neuronal variability in an abnormal way (compared to healthy subjects). This last outcome was assessed by considering the subset of 11 stroke subjects for which fMRI and behavioral outcomes were jointly measured. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings suggest that damage in subcortical regions may play a central role in abnormalities in both cortical activity (PCC) and associated behavior of post-stroke reorganization. Accounting for these aspects may have significant implications to optimize multidisciplinary rehabilitation processes, particularly during the early steps of recovery, reducing the impact of stroke on the patient and caregiver quality of life.

Transverse Sinus Stenosis in Refractory Chronic Headache Patients: An Observational Study.

Background: Transverse sinus stenosis is a common brain MRI finding in chronic migraine (CM) and chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) patients in clinical practice; however, its clinical and diagnostic role is unclear. The aim of the study is to determine the frequency of transverse sinus stenosis in these headache patients resistant to preventive treatments and to verify whether this is a useful finding for identifying patients with intracranial hypertension. Methods: This is an observational study. Patients with refractory CM and CTTH underwent a 3T-magnetic resonance venography (MRV) before cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) opening pressure measurement. Transverse sinus stenosis was determined using the combined conduit score. Patients with opening pressure >200 repeated MRV study 1 month after CSF withdrawal to evaluate changes in neuroimaging findings. Results: We analyzed MRV studies of 40 patients (32 F, 8 M; mean age, 49.4 ± 10.8; mean body mass index, 26.7 ± 6.4; 39 CM and 1 CTTH with concomitant episodic migraine). Nineteen cases (47.5%) had evidence of transverse sinus stenosis: bilateral in seven patients (17.5%) and unilateral in 12 cases (30%). No statistically significant differences in transverse sinus stenosis distribution were found between patients with opening pressure <200 mmH2O and those with opening pressure >200 mmH2O. On Spearman bivariate test, there was no correlation between opening pressure and combined conduit score. No changes in neuroimaging findings were found 1 month after CSF withdrawal. Conclusion: Transverse sinus stenosis is a frequent radiological finding (47.5%) in CM and CTTH patients refractory to preventive treatments. However, this finding is not suggestive of intracranial hypertension. Whether transverse sinus stenosis may be a possible risk factor for chronic headache or a comorbidity needs to be evaluated in larger epidemiological studies.

Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Without Papilledema (IIHWOP) in Chronic Refractory Headache.

Background: To determine the prevalence of Idiopathic intracranial hypertension without papilledema (IIHWOP) testing revised diagnostic criteria by Friedman in refractory chronic headache (CH) patients. Methods: This is a prospective observational study. Each patient underwent ophthalmologic evaluation and Optical Coherence Tomography; brain magnetic resonance venography (MRV) and a lumbar puncture (LP) with opening pressure (OP) measurement. CSF withdrawal was performed in patients with CSF OP > 200 mmH20. IIHWOP was defined according Friedman's diagnostic criteria. Effect of CSF withdrawal was evaluated clinically in a 6-month follow-up and with a MRV study at 1 month. Results: Forty-five consecutive patients were enrolled. Five were excluded due to protocol violations. Analyses were conducted in 40 patients (32 F, 8 M; mean age 49.4 ± 10.8). None had papilledema. Nine patients (22.5%) had OP greater than 200 mmH2O, two of them above 250 mmH2O. Two (5%) had neuroimaging findings suggestive of elevated intracranial pressure. One of them (2.5%) met the newly proposed diagnostic criteria by Friedman for IIHWOP. After CSF withdrawal seven (77.8%) of the nine patients improved. No changes in neuroimaging findings were found. Conclusions: We found a low prevalence (2.5%) of IIHWOP in refractory CH patients according to current diagnostic criteria. In agreement with Friedman's criteria, our results confirm that a diagnosis of IIHWOP should be based on CSF OP and the combination of neuroradiological findings. However, where to set the CSF OP upper limit in IIHWOP needs further field testing. Although IIHWOP is a rare clinical condition, it should be considered and treated in refractory CH patients.

Third-line therapy in recurrent glioblastoma: is it another chance for bevacizumab?

BACKGROUND: Standard glioblastoma therapy is long-lasting. Among second-line therapy, choices could be bevacizumab and nitrosoureas depending on National Agencies approval. There is no consensus on 3rd line therapy or clinical trials specifically designed for this setting. METHODS: We reviewed our institutional database on all consecutive patients who received 3rd line therapy for glioblastoma. RESULTS: Data on 168 out of 1337 (12.6%) glioblastoma patients who underwent 3rd line therapy treatment were collected. Third line treatments were bevacizumab or chemotherapy (nitrosourea, temozolomide or carboplatin plus etoposide). Median progression free survival was 2.9 months and median survival time was 6.6 months from the start of 3rd line therapy. Bevacizumab significantly improved progression-free survival (4.7 vs. 2.6 months, p = .020) and survival from 3rd line start (8.0 vs. 6.0 months, p = .014) in respect to chemotherapy. Toxicity of grade ≥ 3 occurred in 13.7% of patients. In multivariate analysis, survival in 3rd line treatment depends on MGMT methylation (p = .006) and treatment with Bevacizumab (p = .011). CONCLUSIONS: Third line therapy in selected glioblastoma patients may be feasible and well tolerated. Bevacizumab improved outcome in 3rd line in respect to chemotherapy.

Early tumour shrinkage as a survival predictor in patients with recurrent glioblastoma treated with bevacizumab in the AVAREG randomized phase II study.

BACKGROUND: Disease assessment for recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) represents a challenge, especially with the use of antiangiogenic agents. Moreover, validated neuroradiological predictors of outcome are lacking. Recently, the concept of early tumor shrinkage (ETS) has been developed to better assess the ability of treatments in determining a rapid and remarkable tumor response. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of ETS in predicting survival of GBM patients treated with BEV. METHODS: We examined the radiological data of patients with recurrent GBM treated with bevacizumab (BEV) or fotemustine (FTM) in the randomized phase II AVAREG trial (EudraCT: 2011-001363-46). Radiologic assessments at first disease assessment (day 46) were used to calculate the relative change in the sum of the products of perpendicular diameters of all measurable lesions determined by either T1 contrast and T2/FLAIR. RESULTS: In patients treated with BEV, the best ETS cut-off was reduction of 15% with T1 contrast and of 40% with T2/FLAIR. Adopting this cut-off for T1 contrast radiological changes, ETS was a significant predictor of OS for patients treated with BEV (HR = 0.511, 95%CI:0.269-0.971, p = 0.040). The cut-off obtained for T2/FLAIR was not significantly correlated with OS (p = 0.102), but we found a trend for correlation with survival when considering the variable as continuous (p = 0.058). CONCLUSIONS: ETS evaluating T1 contrast reduction is a helpful predictor of survival in patients with recurrent GBM treated with BEV, and if validated in a larger prospective trial could be a helpful surrogate endpoint.

Superficial siderosis associated with peripheral autonomic failure and tetraventricular hydrocephalus: a case report.

We describe the case of a man whose initial clinical presentation included sensorineural hearing loss and orthostatic hypotension. The patient was diagnosed with superficial siderosis associated with peripheral autonomic failure and tetraventricular hydrocephalus.

AVAREG: a phase II, randomized, noncomparative study of fotemustine or bevacizumab for patients with recurrent glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Few prospective studies have assessed the role of bevacizumab and included a control arm with standard treatments for recurrent glioblastoma. We conducted a noncomparative phase II trial (AVAREG) to examine the efficacy of bevacizumab or fotemustine in this setting. METHODS: Eligible patients were randomized 2:1 to receive bevacizumab (10 mg/kg every 2 weeks) or fotemustine (75 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, and 15, then 100 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks after a 35-day interval). The primary endpoint was 6-month overall survival (OS) rate (OS-6). No formal efficacy comparison was made between the treatment arms. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients were enrolled (bevacizumab n = 59; fotemustine n = 32). Median age was 57 years (range, 28-78 y), and patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 (n = 42), 1 (n = 35), or 2 (n = 14). OS-6 rate was 62.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48.4-74.5) with bevacizumab and 73.3% (95% CI, 54.1-87.7) with fotemustine. OS-6 rates were lower in bevacizumab-treated patients with MGMT promoter methylated tumors than in those with unmethylated tumors (50% and 85%, respectively), but higher in fotemustine-treated patients (87.5% and 50%, respectively). OS rates at 9 months were 37.9% (95% CI, 25.5-51.6) and 46.7% (95% CI, 28.3-65.7) with bevacizumab and fotemustine, respectively, and median OS was 7.3 months (95% CI, 5.8-9.2) and 8.7 months (95% CI, 6.3-15.4), respectively. Toxicity was as expected with the 2 agents. CONCLUSION: Single-agent bevacizumab may have a role in patients with recurrent glioblastoma.

Do brain lesions in stroke affect basic emotions and attachment?

The aim of the current study was to investigate basic emotions and attachment in a sample of 86 stroke patients. We included a control group of 115 orthopedic patients (matched for age and cognitive status) without brain lesions to control for unspecific general illness effects of a traumatic recent event on basic emotions and attachment. In order to measure basic emotions and attachment style we applied the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS) and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ). The stroke patients showed significantly different scores in the SEEKING, SADNESS, and ANGER subscales of the ANPS as well as in the Relationship as Secondary Attachment dimension of the ASQ when compared to the control group. These differences show a pattern influenced by lesion location mainly as concerns basic emotions. Anterior, medial, left, and subcortical patients provide scores significantly lower in ANPS-SEEKING than the control group; ANPS-SADNESS scores in anterior, right, medial, and subcortical patients were significantly higher than those of the control group. ANPS-ANGER scores in posterior, right, and lateral patients were significantly higher than those in the control group; finally, the ANPS-FEAR showed slightly lower scores in posterior patients than in the control group. Minor effects on brain lesions were also individuated in the attachment style. Anterior lesion patients showed a significantly higher average score in the ASQ-Need for Approval subscale than the control group. ASQ-Confidence subscale scores differed significantly in stroke patients with lesions in medial brain regions when compared to control subjects. Scores at ANPS and ASQ subscales appear significantly more correlated in stroke patients than in the control group. Such finding of abnormalities, especially concerning basic emotions in stroke brain-lesioned patients, indicates that the effect of brain lesions may enhance the interrelation between basic emotions and attachment with respect to the control group.

New perspectives in the treatment of adult medulloblastoma in the era of molecular oncology.

Medulloblastoma is the most common central nervous system tumor in children, while it is extremely rare in adults. Multimodal treatment involving surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy can improve the prognosis of this disease, and recent advances in molecular biology have allowed the identification of molecular subgroups (WNT, SHH, Groups 3 and 4), each of which have different cytogenetic, mutational and gene expression signatures, demographics, histology and prognosis. The present review focuses on the state of the art for adult medulloblastoma treatment and on novel molecular advances and their future implications in the treatment of this disease.

Post progression survival in glioblastoma: where are we?

The optimal end point for phase II studies for recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) is unclear and a matter of debate. Moreover, data about post-progression survival (PPS) after the first disease progression in GBM patients treated according to EORTC 26981/22981/NCIC CE.3 trial are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the PPS in GBM patients. The analysis was made with a database on 1,006 GBM patients followed prospectively between 06/2005 and 06/2010. Eligibility criteria for the study were: age ≥ 18 years; PS: 0-2; chemotherapy given at disease progression after RT/TMZ. 232 patients (mean age 52 years, range 18-77 years) were enrolled. The median PFS following second line chemotherapy (PFS2) was 2.5 months (95 % CI 2.1-2.9) and the rate of patients free of progression at 6 months (PFS2-6 mo), was 21.6 % (95 % CI 16.3-26.9 %). The median PPS was 8.6 months (95 % CI 7.4-9.8), PPS rates were: PPS-6: 66 % (95 % CI 60.3-72.9 %), PPS-9: 48.2 % (95 % CI 41.5-54.9 %) and PPS-12: 31.7 % (95 % CI 25.2-38.2 %). PPS in unselected patients treated with alkylating agents is about 8 months. PPS rates could be of interest as an end point in future studies in recurrent GBM.

Galectin-3 expression in pituitary adenomas as a marker of aggressive behavior.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the role of galectin-3 (LGALS3) expression in predicting the recurrence and the progression potential of prolactin (PRL) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-producing pituitary adenomas and its correlation with the RUNX1 and RUNX2 transcription factors involved in the regulation mechanism of LGALS3 expression. Clinical, neuroradiologic, and follow-up data from 92 pituitary adenomas, including 59 PRL cell adenomas and 33 ACTH-functioning pituitary adenomas, were collected. The LGALS3 expression was analyzed by both immunohistochemistry and quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction, whereas RUNX1 and RUNX2 were analyzed by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction only. The data obtained indicated that invasive growth with suprasellar extension, Ki-67 labeling index, and LGALS3 immunohistochemical and/or LGALS3 messenger RNA levels are the most important histologic features for assessing a high risk of progression or recurrence of PRL- and ACTH-functioning pituitary adenomas. Multivariate Cox regression analysis assessed LGALS3 immunohistochemical positivity in at least 30% of neoplastic cells and/or LGALS3 messenger RNA positivity (P < .001) as strong predictive factors of recurrence/tumor progression followed by a Ki-67 labeling index greater than 3% (P = .019) in the 81 cases in which follow-up data were available. In addition, a significant correlation between LGALS3 and RUNX1 expression levels (P = .0435) was found. This retrospective immunohistochemical and molecular study demonstrated that LGALS3 expression appeared to be a predictive factor of the aggressive behavior of PRL- and ACTH-functioning pituitary adenomas, and its expression was correlated with RUNX1 expression levels.