Do Haematological Laboratory Data Associate with Tumour Size, Cavernous Sinus Invasion, and Sellar Erosion in Patients with Pituitary Adenoma?

Background: Pituitary adenomas (PAs) are the most prevalent neuroendocrine tumour. Inflammation, both within the tumour microenvironment and systemically, plays a role in tumour biology. Haematological laboratory data serves as an initial and cost-effective approach. This study explores the association between haematological indices (e.g., NLR, PLR, LMR) and PA characteristics (tumour size, sellar erosion, cavernous sinus invasion).
Methods: A retrospective study (2018–January 2023) analysed preoperative haematological data (such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio [NLR], platelet to lymphocyte ratio [PLR], and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio [LMR]) from PA patients. The haematological data was analysed based on tumour characteristic with p<0.05 considered significant.
Results: Among 64 patients (mean age 45.55±14.67), 20–40% had elevated NLR, PLR, and LMR. Tumour characteristics included 60.9% macroadenomas and 39.1% giant PAs, with 43.8% showing sellar erosion and 42.2% cavernous sinus invasion. Monocyte counts were significantly higher in giant PAs vs. macroadenomas (7.48 ± 1.91 vs. 6.49 ± 1.95, p=0.040), and platelet counts were higher in sellar erosion vs. enlargement (336,710 ± 90,460 vs. 284,720 ± 89,766, p=0.016).
Conclusion: Our study found that patients with giant PAs had significantly higher monocyte counts.