basophil adenoma

ba·so·phil ad·e·no·ma

a tumor of the adenohypophysis in which the cell cytoplasm stains with basic dyes, often producing ACTH.

ba·so·phil ad·e·no·ma

(bā'sō-fil ad'ĕ-nō'mă)

A tumor of the adenohypophysis in which the cell cytoplasm stains with basic dyes, often producing adrenocorticotropic hormone.

basophil adenoma

, basophilic a.

An adenoma of the pituitary gland in which cells stain with basic dyes. The term was formerly used to suggest tumors that secreted adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH), the cause of Cushing syndrome. Those tumors are now identified more directly by the identification (by immunocytochemistry) of ACTH in tumor cells. The use of hematoxylin and eosin staining to identify pituitary tumors is obsolete.

See also: adenoma