Abstract
Two young female patients developed mild hyperprolactinemia with galactorrhea several years after surgery for polycystic ovaries and were found to have an extremely rare type of pituitary tumor composed of mixed tissue elements of Rathke's cleft cysts and prolactin-secreting adenoma previously termed cystic prolactinoma. Clinical and pathologic features of this unique combination of lesions in two closely related endocrine organs were described with special emphasis on the pathogenesis of prolactinomas. It is possible that continuous estrogenic stimulation via pertinent receptors in the pituitary prolactin-secreting cells may be related to the development of prolactinoma in these patients.
