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Objective: To investigate the protein expression of Discoidin Domain Receptor 1(DDR1) in pituitary adenomas and its clinical significances. Methods: The tissue specimens and clinical data of 81 cases of pituitary adenomas and 5 cases of normal pituitary tissues were obtained. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect and compare the expression of DDR1. The correlation of DDR1 protein expression with the clinical and pathological characteristics of pituitary adenomas patients was analyzed. Results: The positive expression rate of DDR1 protein in pituitary adenomas was 64.2%(52/81). The positive expression rate of DDR1 protein in invasive pituitary adenomas was significantly higher than that in the noninvasive pituitary adenomas(x²= 16.40, P=0.000). The positive expression rate of DDR1 protein in functional pituitary adenomas was significantly higher than that in nonfunctional pituitary adenomas(x²= 18.06, P=0.000). The positive expression rate of DDR1 protein in pituitary adenomas with diameter larger than 10mm was significantly higher than that with diameter smaller than 10 mm (x²=11.68, P=0.003). Conclusion: The expression of DDR1 was significantly correlated with the invasiveness, endocrine subtypes and diameter of pituitary adenomas, DDR1 could play an important role in the pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]