TERT promoter methylation is significantly associated with TERT upregulation and disease progression in pituitary adenomas

Purpose Alterations in the promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene are a major mechanism of upregulating telomerase, which plays a crucial role in tumor development. Mutations in the TERT promoter have been observed in a subset of brain tumors, including adult gliomas and high-grade meningiomas. In pituitary adenomas (PAs), however, abnormalities in TERT are not fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate not only mutational but also methylation changes in the TERT promoter in PAs and to analyze their correlations with clinical variables.