Abstract: Objective To explore expression and significance of growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15 in pituitary adenomas.Methods A total of 100 tissue samples of patients with pituitary adenomas were selected and divided into invasive pituitary adenomas group (n =63) and non-pituitary adenomas group (n =37) according to aggressive condition,and 50 healthy people were selected as control group.The expression of GDF-15 was compared among the three groups,and the correlation between GDF-15 and the invasiveness of pituitary adenomas was analyzed.Results The level of GDF-15 in patients with prolactin secreting pituitary adenomas and growth hormone adenomas was significantly higher than that of patients with non-functional pituitary adenomas (P ＜ 0.05).The level of GDF-15 in the invasive pituitary adenomas group was significantly higher than the non-invasive group and the control group (P ＜ 0.05).The correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between GDF-15 and invasive pituitary adenomas (r =0.328,P =0.001).Conclusion In patients with pituitary adenomas,the expression of GDF-15 is higher,and there is a correlation between the GDF-15 level and the invasiveness of pituitary adenomas.