1
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Perez-Rivas LG, Simon J, Albani A, Tang S, Roeber S, Assié G, Deutschbein T, Fassnacht M, Gadelha MR, Hermus AR, Stalla GK, Tichomirowa MA, Rotermund R, Flitsch J, Buchfelder M, Nasi-Kordhishti I, Honegger J, Thorsteinsdottir J, Saeger W, Herms J, Reincke M, Theodoropoulou M. TP53 mutations in functional corticotroph tumors are linked to invasion and worse clinical outcome. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2022; 10:139. [PMID: 36123588 PMCID: PMC9484083 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01437-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Corticotroph macroadenomas are rare but difficult to manage intracranial neoplasms. Mutations in the two Cushing's disease mutational hotspots USP8 and USP48 are less frequent in corticotroph macroadenomas and invasive tumors. There is evidence that TP53 mutations are not as rare as previously thought in these tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of TP53 mutations in corticotroph tumors, with emphasis on macroadenomas, and their possible association with clinical and tumor characteristics. To this end, the entire TP53 coding region was sequenced in 86 functional corticotroph tumors (61 USP8 wild type; 66 macroadenomas) and the clinical characteristics of patients with TP53 mutant tumors were compared with TP53/USP8 wild type and USP8 mutant tumors. We found pathogenic TP53 variants in 9 corticotroph tumors (all macroadenomas and USP8 wild type). TP53 mutant tumors represented 14% of all functional corticotroph macroadenomas and 24% of all invasive tumors, were significantly larger and invasive, and had higher Ki67 indices and Knosp grades compared to wild type tumors. Patients with TP53 mutant tumors had undergone more therapeutic interventions, including radiation and bilateral adrenalectomy. In conclusion, pathogenic TP53 variants are more frequent than expected, representing a relevant amount of functional corticotroph macroadenomas and invasive tumors. TP53 mutations associated with more aggressive tumor features and difficult to manage disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Gustavo Perez-Rivas
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
| | - Julia Simon
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Adriana Albani
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Sicheng Tang
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Sigrun Roeber
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Guillaume Assié
- Department of Endocrinology, Center for Rare Adrenal Diseases, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France.,Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, Inserm U1016, CNRS UMR8104, F-75014, Paris, France
| | - Timo Deutschbein
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Medicover Oldenburg MVZ, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Martin Fassnacht
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Monica R Gadelha
- Division of Endocrinology, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ad R Hermus
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Günter K Stalla
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.,Medicover Neuroendocrinology, Munich, Germany
| | - Maria A Tichomirowa
- Service d'Endocrinologie, Centre Hospitalier du Nord, Ettelbruck, Luxembourg
| | - Roman Rotermund
- Department of Neurosurgery, Universitätskrankenhaus Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jörg Flitsch
- Department of Neurosurgery, Universitätskrankenhaus Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Buchfelder
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | | | - Jürgen Honegger
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jun Thorsteinsdottir
- Neurochirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Saeger
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jochen Herms
- Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Reincke
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Marily Theodoropoulou
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
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Carlstrom LP, Graffeo CS, Perry A, Stokken JK, Van Gompel JJ. Nelson-Salassa Syndrome Progressing to Pituitary Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Cureus 2019; 11:e5595. [PMID: 31700708 PMCID: PMC6822920 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.5595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nelson-Salassa Syndrome (NSS) is a rare sequela of bilateral adrenalectomy as a treatment for persistent hypercortisolism in refractory Cushing disease (CD). Radiographic NSS has been observed in half of CD patients after adrenalectomy, yet often follows a mild course and rarely requires treatment. We present the case of a 44-year-old male with a history of CD who underwent primary treatments including transsphenoidal resection, radiotherapy, and bilateral adrenalectomy. He subsequently presented with acute vision loss and progressive somnolence. MRI revealed marked enlargement of an invasive sellar and suprasellar lesion exerting significant mass effect on the chiasm, and multiple new enhancing bony lesions. The patient was taken for emergent transsphenoidal resection and calvarial biopsy; visual function was restored postoperatively, and pathologic analysis confirmed pituitary carcinoma. While NSS typically follows an indolent course, pituitary carcinoma is a highly morbid metastatic disease, and has been theorized to occur at a higher frequency in the NSS population. We review all published cases of NSS to pituitary carcinoma progression, which further underscores the highly aggressive nature and considerable mortality of this patient cohort. Although mild, asymptomatic NSS is more commonly observed, symptomatic patients or those with rapid growth after adrenalectomy, should be targeted for routine close clinical follow-up and serial radiographic surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Avital Perry
- Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
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3
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Alshaikh OM, Asa SL, Mete O, Ezzat S. An Institutional Experience of Tumor Progression to Pituitary Carcinoma in a 15-Year Cohort of 1055 Consecutive Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors. Endocr Pathol 2019; 30:118-127. [PMID: 30706322 DOI: 10.1007/s12022-019-9568-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Pituitary carcinoma is a rare disease, defined by the presence of cerebrospinal or distant metastasis of a pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET). To review our institutional experience of pituitary carcinoma, we searched the database of the UHN Endocrine Oncology Site group and the University Health Network pathology laboratory information system from 2001 to 2016. Among 1055 PitNETs from 1169 transsphenoidal resections, we identified 4 cases of pituitary carcinoma, indicating that pituitary carcinoma represents around 0.4% of PitNETs. All four patients were women. The age at initial presentation ranged from 23 to 54 years. Two patients had Cushing disease with corticotroph tumors; one was initially a densely granulated corticotroph tumor that evolved to become sparsely granulated, while the other was a Crooke cell tumor. One patient had a functioning sparsely granulated lactotroph tumor and one had a clinically silent poorly differentiated PIT1 lineage tumor. Apart from a relatively high Ki67 labeling index (≥ 10%) in three tumors, there were no cytomorphologic features at the time of initial presentation that could predict subsequent metastatic behavior. The time from diagnosis of the pituitary neuroendocrine tumor to the diagnosis of malignancy was 3 to 14 years. Therapies included somatostatin analogs, external beam radiotherapy, chemotherapies including capecitabine/temozolomide, everolimus, sunitinib, bevacizumab, and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). One patient died of disease 18 years after initial diagnosis, underscoring the protracted course of this ultimately fatal neuroendocrine malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omalkhaire M Alshaikh
- Department of Medicine, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sylvia L Asa
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ozgur Mete
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shereen Ezzat
- Department of Medicine, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, 610 University Avenue, Room 7-327, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2M9, Canada.
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4
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Rotman LE, Vaughan TB, Hackney JR, Riley KO. Long-Term Survival After Transformation of an Adrenocorticotropic Hormone–Secreting Pituitary Macroadenoma to a Silent Corticotroph Pituitary Carcinoma. World Neurosurg 2019; 122:417-423. [DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2018.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Abstract
Pituitary adenomas are unique in multiple ways. They are rarely malignant in terms of metastases; yet, they may be aggressive. Their cancerous potential is defined in a classic oncological way by the ability to metastasise, and therefore, it has been crucial to differentiate this process from aggressive behaviour, characterised as a particularly invasive and/or recurrent behaviour and resistance to common modalities of therapy. Recently, however, important changes have been introduced to the diagnosis and management of aggressive and malignant pituitary tumours including the 4th edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification for endocrine tumours (2017) as well as ESE Clinical Guidelines (2018), although an attempt to establish predictive and/or prognostic markers of clinical aggressiveness remains difficult. In this review, we focus on a group of pituitary tumours causing significant problems in clinical practice and requiring multidisciplinary input. We summarise updates in definitions of tumour invasiveness, aggressiveness and malignant transformation, as well as histological classification, and emphasise the new considerations regarding aggressive and malignant potential and its relationship to therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Dworakowska
- Department of Hypertension and Diabetes, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
- Guys Richard Dimbleby Department of Cancer Research, Kings College London, London, UK
- Endocard LTD, London, UK
| | - Ashley B Grossman
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre for Endocrinology, William Harvey Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine, London, UK
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6
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Renner U, Ciato D, Stalla GK. Recent advances in understanding corticotroph pituitary tumor initiation and progression. F1000Res 2018; 7. [PMID: 30228864 PMCID: PMC6117851 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.14789.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cushing’s disease is the most frequent form of hypercortisolism and is caused by hypophyseal corticotroph adenomas secreting excessive amounts of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Most of the tumors develop sporadically and only a limited number of corticotroph adenomas have been found to be associated with different neuroendocrine syndromes or with familial isolated pituitary adenomas. The pathogenic mechanisms of corticotroph adenomas are largely unknown, but the discovered aberrant chaperoning activity of heat shock protein 90 on the one hand and the presence of ubiquitin-specific protease 8 mutations on the other hand partially explained the causes of their development. Corticotroph tumors arise initially as benign microadenomas but with time form invasively growing aggressive macroadenomas which can switch to corticotroph carcinomas in extremely rare cases. The mechanisms through which corticotroph tumors escape from glucocorticoid negative feedback are still poorly understood, as are the processes that trigger the progression of benign corticotroph adenomas toward aggressive and malignant phenotypes. This review summarizes recent findings regarding initiation and progression of corticotroph pituitary tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Renner
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Neuroendocrinology Group, Munich, Germany
| | - Denis Ciato
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Neuroendocrinology Group, Munich, Germany
| | - Günter K Stalla
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Neuroendocrinology Group, Munich, Germany
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7
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Abstract
Abstract:Selective transsphenoidal adenomectomy is generally recommended for initial treatment of Cushing's disease (CD) because it achieves a high (70-85%) rate of remission. However, if initial surgery is not successful, the approach to persistent or recurrent CD is more complex. Because residual or recurrent adenoma is typically found at the site of the original adenoma, repeat transsphenoidal surgery is recommended including selective adenomectomy, hemihypophysectomy or total hypophysectomy. If repeat pituitary surgery does not achieve remission, then possible adjuvant therapies include radiosurgery or stereotactic radiotherapy, bilateral adrenalectomy, and/or medical therapy. In all cases of persistent or recurrent CD, successful treatment requires close collaboration of endocrinologists, radiation oncologists and neurosurgeons.
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8
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Yoo F, Kuan EC, Heaney AP, Bergsneider M, Wang MB. Corticotrophic pituitary carcinoma with cervical metastases: case series and literature review. Pituitary 2018; 21:290-301. [PMID: 29404894 DOI: 10.1007/s11102-018-0872-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Pituitary tumors are the second most common intracranial tumors, however, pituitary carcinoma is a rare clinical entity which represents only 0.1-0.2% of all pituitary tumors. Diagnosis of pituitary carcinoma requires the presence of metastasis. Early identification of pituitary carcinoma is difficult, and only recently have guidelines been published for the treatment of aggressive pituitary tumors. We present two cases from our institution, with a review of other cases available in literature in order to better characterize this rare disease. METHODS A retrospective review of two patients with pituitary carcinoma treated at a tertiary medical center was performed. The MEDLINE database was searched for all cases of pituitary carcinoma. Information for age at diagnosis, sex, pituitary tumor type, latency period from pituitary tumor to presentation of carcinoma, sites of metastasis, number of surgical therapies, radiation and chemotherapy, and survival after diagnosis were collected. RESULTS A total of 69 studies were available for review for a total of 72 unique cases. The average age at diagnosis was 46.3 years. The most common tumors were ACTH-secreting (34.7%), Prolactin-secreting (23.6%), and Null Cell (15.3%). The average latency period from pituitary tumor diagnosis to metastasis was 9 years. All patients underwent surgical therapy during their treatment, with an average of 2.76 procedures. The mortality rate was 54.8% with average time to death after diagnosis of approximately 10 months. CONCLUSIONS Pituitary carcinoma is a rare disease with high mortality rate and is a diagnostic and treatment challenge. Further study is required but is difficult due to its low incidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick Yoo
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 10833 Le Conte Ave. 62-132 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1624, USA.
| | - Edward C Kuan
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 10833 Le Conte Ave. 62-132 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1624, USA
| | - Anthony P Heaney
- Department of Neurosurgery, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Marvin Bergsneider
- Department of Neurosurgery, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Marilene B Wang
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 10833 Le Conte Ave. 62-132 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1624, USA
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9
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Pérez-Rivas LG, Theodoropoulou M, Puar TH, Fazel J, Stieg MR, Ferraù F, Assié G, Gadelha MR, Deutschbein T, Fragoso MC, Kusters B, Saeger W, Honegger J, Buchfelder M, Korbonits M, Bertherat J, Stalla GK, Hermus AR, Beuschlein F, Reincke M. Somatic USP8 mutations are frequent events in corticotroph tumor progression causing Nelson's tumor. Eur J Endocrinol 2018; 178:57-63. [PMID: 28982703 DOI: 10.1530/eje-17-0634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Somatic mutations in the ubiquitin-specific protease 8 (USP8) gene are frequent in corticotroph tumors causing Cushing's disease (CD). Corticotroph tumor progression, the so-called Nelson's syndrome (NS), is a potentially life-threatening complication of bilateral adrenalectomy in patients with refractory CD that is caused by the development of an ACTH-secreting tumor of the pituitary gland. Whether USP8 alterations are also present in progressive Nelson's tumors has not been studied in detail so far. DESIGN AND METHODS Retrospective, multicenter study involving tumors from 33 patients with progressive corticotroph tumors (29 females) and screening for somatic mutations on the mutational hotspot of the USP8 gene in the exon 14 with Sanger sequencing. RESULTS Fifteen out of 33 tumors (45%) presented with a mutation in the exon 14 of USP8, with c.2159C>A (p.Pro720Gln) being the most frequent (9/33), followed by c.2155_2157delTCC (p.Ser718del, 4/33) and c.2152T>C (p.Ser718Pro, 2/33). This prevalence is similar to that previously reported for CD. Mutations were found exclusively in females. Other variables, such as age at diagnosis with NS, body mass index, hyperpigmentation, visual field defects, adenoma size or mortality, did not significantly differ between patients with wild-type and mutant tumors. Patients with USP8 mutant tumors exhibited higher levels of plasma ACTH after surgery (median: 640 vs 112 pg/mL, P = 0.03). No differences were observed in ACTH normalization (<50 pg/mL) and tumor control after surgery for Nelson's tumor. CONCLUSION Somatic mutations in USP8 are common in Nelson's tumors, indicating that they do not drive the corticotroph tumor progression that leads to NS, and may be associated with a less favorable biochemical outcome after surgery for Nelson's tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis G Pérez-Rivas
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Marily Theodoropoulou
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Clinical Neuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Troy H Puar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Endocrinology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Julia Fazel
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Mareike R Stieg
- Clinical Neuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Francesco Ferraù
- Centre for Endocrinology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Guillaume Assié
- Department of Endocrinology, Cochin Hospital, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris; Inserm Unité 1016, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche, Institut Cochin, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Monica R Gadelha
- Division of Endocrinology, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Timo Deutschbein
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Würzburg, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Maria C Fragoso
- Unidade de Neuroendocrinologia, Laboratório de Hormônios e Genética Molecular/LIM42, Disciplina de Endocrinologia e Metabologia, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Benno Kusters
- Department of Pathology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Wolfgang Saeger
- Institut für Neuropathologie der Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Honegger
- Department of Neurosurgery, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Buchfelder
- Neurochirurgische Klinik, Klinikum der Universität Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Márta Korbonits
- Centre for Endocrinology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Jérôme Bertherat
- Department of Endocrinology, Cochin Hospital, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris; Inserm Unité 1016, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche, Institut Cochin, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Günter K Stalla
- Clinical Neuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Ad R Hermus
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Felix Beuschlein
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Klinik für Endokrinologie, Diabetologie und Klinische Ernährung, Universitätsspital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Reincke
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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Shastri BR, Nanda A, Fowler M, Levine SN. Adrenocorticotropic hormone-producing pituitary carcinoma with intracranial metastases. World Neurosurg 2011; 79:404.e11-6. [PMID: 22079280 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2011.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2010] [Revised: 02/26/2011] [Accepted: 04/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pituitary carcinomas are rare and challenging clinical entities. Because of the paucity of cases, there is limited information in the literature on how best to diagnose and treat pituitary carcinomas. METHODS We review the literature and describe a woman who presented with an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary macroadenoma that later evolved into a carcinoma with intracranial metastases. RESULTS A 39-year-old woman presented at age 27 with classic findings of Cushing's syndrome and a pituitary macroadenoma. Her initial treatment was transsphenoidal surgery, during which we confirmed an ACTH-secreting pituitary neoplasm. For 5 years, she was asymptomatic before her first recurrence. During the next 6 years, she underwent four transsphenoidal surgeries and two craniotomies. After each surgery, there was some reduction in the size of the macroadenoma but the residual tumor mass would rapidly enlarge. Immunochemical staining was positive for ACTH, and a stain for Ki-67 antigen showed a high mitotic index. Eleven years after her initial presentation, magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral hippocampal and tempero-occipital masses. The patient's health continued to deteriorate, largely from complications of severe hypercortisolemia, and she died from sepsis. At postmortem, the hippocampus and tempero-occipital lobe masses proved to be a pituitary tumor with positive ACTH staining. CONCLUSIONS Pituitary carcinomas are rare, may present many years after diagnosis of a primary pituitary adenoma, and should be suspected in patients with persistent or recurrent disease. Reliable histopathologic ways to distinguish between carcinoma and adenoma are difficult because the features of hypercellularity, nuclear pleomorphism, and mitotic figures are not always helpful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavin R Shastri
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
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11
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Ono M, Miki N, Amano K, Hayashi M, Kawamata T, Seki T, Takano K, Katagiri S, Yamamoto M, Nishikawa T, Kubo O, Sano T, Hori T, Okada Y. A case of corticotroph carcinoma that caused multiple cranial nerve palsies, destructive petrosal bone invasion, and liver metastasis. Endocr Pathol 2011; 22:10-7. [PMID: 21234708 PMCID: PMC3052505 DOI: 10.1007/s12022-010-9144-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A 52-year-old woman experienced sudden onset of double vision due to a right abducens nerve palsy and was diagnosed as having a pituitary macroadenoma that invaded into the right cavernous sinus. Otherwise, she was asymptomatic despite marked elevation of ACTH (293 pg/ml) and cortisol (24.6 μg/dl) levels. The patient underwent transsphenoidal surgery followed by γ-knife radiosurgery (GKR), which healed the diplopia and ameliorated the hypercortisolemia. The excised tumor was diffusely stained for ACTH with a high (15%) Ki-67 labeling index. Early tumor recurrence occurred twice thereafter, producing right lower cranial nerve palsies with petrosal bone destruction at 8 months and an ipsilateral oculomotor nerve palsy at 12 months after GKR; all palsies resolved completely with the second and third GKRs. Hypercortisolemia worsened rapidly soon after the third GKR, and the patient developed marked weight gain, hypokalemia, and hypertension. Multiple liver lesions were incidentally detected with computer tomography and identified as metastatic pituitary tumor on immunohistochemistry. An ACTH-producing adenoma should be followed carefully for early recurrence and/or metastatic spread when the tumor is an invasive macroadenoma with a high proliferation marker level. The unique aggressive behavior and high potential for malignant transformation of this case are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masami Ono
- Department of Medicine II, Institute of Clinical Endocrinology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
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12
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ACTH-producing carcinoma of the pituitary with refractory Cushing's Disease and hepatic metastases: a case report and review of the literature. World J Surg Oncol 2009; 7:39. [PMID: 19356251 PMCID: PMC2678126 DOI: 10.1186/1477-7819-7-39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2009] [Accepted: 04/08/2009] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pituitary carcinomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors affecting the adenohypophysis. The hallmark of these lesions is the demonstration of distant metastatic spread. To date, few well-documented cases have been reported in the literature. Case presentation Here, we report the case of a fatal pituitary carcinoma evolving within two years from an adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)-secreting macroadenoma and review the global literature regarding this rare neuroendocrine tumor. Conclusion Pituitary carcinomas are extremely rare neoplasms, representing only 0.1% to 0.2% of all pituitary tumors. To date, little is understood about the molecular basis of malignant transformation. The latency period between initial presentation of a pituitary adenoma and the development of distal metastases marking carcinoma is extremely variable, and some patients may live well over 10 years with pituitary carcinoma.
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van der Klaauw AA, Kienitz T, Strasburger CJ, Smit JWA, Romijn JA. Malignant pituitary corticotroph adenomas: report of two cases and a comprehensive review of the literature. Pituitary 2009; 12:57-69. [PMID: 18176844 DOI: 10.1007/s11102-007-0080-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Corticotroph pituitary carcinomas are tumors, defined by the presence of distant metastases that determine their poor prognosis. The diagnosis and therapy of malignant corticotroph adenomas remains a clinical challenge. The molecular mechanisms of malignant transformation of pituitary adenomas are unclear, although they are believed to arise in an adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence. We describe two cases of malignant Cushing's disease with metastases in liver and bone, respectively. The primary pituitary tumors were treated by a combination of radiotherapy and transsphenoidal surgery, but recurred several times in both patients. The time interval between the diagnosis of Cushing's disease and the discovery of metastases was 32 and 17 years, respectively. In the first case the patient died within 6 months after diagnosis of metastasis, whereas the second patient is alive at a follow-up of 2 years after the discovery of the metastasis. Furthermore, we reviewed all available cases of corticotroph pituitary carcinomas reported in the literature and analyzed their clinical features and therapeutical management. In conclusion, frequent relapses of Cushing's disease, aggressive growth of macroadenoma, Nelson's syndrome after adrenalectomy or persistently high ACTH levels should prompt the clinician to consider the possibility of pituitary corticotroph carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agatha A van der Klaauw
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, C4-R, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands.
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14
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Management of recurrent and refractory Cushing disease. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 4:560-8. [DOI: 10.1038/ncpendmet0947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2008] [Accepted: 07/21/2008] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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15
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Abstract
Aggressive pituitary tumors are rare the pathogenesis is not well established. The development of pituitary tumor after apoplexy has also been rarely reported. We describe the sequential development of Cushing's disease, apoplexy and aggressive pituitary tumor in the same patient. A 31-year old male presented with eutopic ACTH dependent Cushing's syndrome which failed initial pituitary surgery. He underwent subsequent bilateral adrenalectomy for control of hypercortisolism. An episode of pituitary apoplexy then occurred which was followed by the development of a null-cell pituitary tumor. This second tumor exhibited an aggressive behavior with invasion into the surrounding structures and systemic spread clinically. This case provides important evidence for the hypotheses of the pathogenesis of aggressive pituitary tumors which could have arisen from surviving adenoma cells following apoplexy or as a de novo development of pituitary carcinoma from cells which were not part of the original adenoma. This is the first report of a transformation of Cushing's disease to an aggressive and invasive null cell tumor after pituitary irradiation, apoplexy and surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kian-Peng Goh
- Department of Medicine, Alexandra Hospital, 378 Alexandra Road, 159964, Singapore, Singapore
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16
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Liu JK, Fleseriu M, Delashaw JB, Ciric IS, Couldwell WT. Treatment options for Cushing disease after unsuccessful transsphenoidal surgery. Neurosurg Focus 2007; 23:E8. [PMID: 17961031 DOI: 10.3171/foc.2007.23.3.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Cushing disease is considered an aggressive pituitary endocrinopathy because of the devastating effects from untreated hypercortisolemia. Although they are histologically benign, these adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary tumors are associated with significant morbidity and premature death. Currently, transsphenoidal surgery is the primary treatment of Cushing disease associated with an ACTH-secreting pituitary tumor, resulting in remission rates ranging from about 50 to 90%. Some patients, however, will not achieve sustained remission after transsphenoidal surgery and can exhibit persistent or recurrent Cushing disease that requires multimodal treatment to achieve remission. In these patients, options for treatment include repeat transsphenoidal resection, radiation therapy (including conventional fractionated radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery), and medical therapy. Despite undergoing multiple treatment modalities, some patients may ultimately require bilateral adrenalectomy for definitive treatment to eliminate hypercortisolemia associated with Cushing disease. In this article, the authors review the treatment options for patients who have persistent or recurrent Cushing disease after unsuccessful transsphenoidal surgery. The indications, current results reported in the literature, and complications of each treatment modality are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- James K Liu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Evanston, Illinois 60201, USA.
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17
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Brown RL, Wollman R, Weiss RE. Transformation of a pituitary macroadenoma into to a corticotropin-secreting carcinoma over 16 years. Endocr Pract 2007; 13:463-71. [PMID: 17872347 DOI: 10.4158/ep.13.5.463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe a case of a pituitary macroadenoma that differentiated into a corticotropin (ACTH)-secreting carcinoma with metastasis to the thigh. METHODS We present a case report with a 16-year follow-up that includes anatomic and endocrine documentation of the history of an ACTH-secreting carcinoma. RESULTS A 32-year-old woman presented for evaluation in 1989 because of visual field defects. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a locally invasive 3-cm macroadenoma. She had no clinical signs of cortisol excess. The patient underwent surgical debulking followed by a course of radiation directed to the pituitary. Results from retrospective immunohistochemical staining with antibodies against ACTH, prolactin, and MIB-1 were negative. Postoperatively, she could not be weaned from exogenous steroids without developing symptoms of adrenal insufficiency. In 1995, she developed left facial palsy and diplopia caused by tumor growth. In 1997, the patient developed progressive symptoms of cortisol excess, which continued after exogenous steroid replacement was discontinued. The patient's clinical status continued to deteriorate because of local mass effect from tumor growth and uncontrolled hypercortisolism. She underwent bilateral adrenalectomy in 2003. The patient remained debilitated in a long-term care facility for 2 years when she was found to have a mass on her left hip. Biopsy results of the obturator muscle revealed metastatic tumor of neuroendocrine origin with strong reactivity to ACTH antibodies and MIB-1 labeling in 8% of tumor cell nuclei. CONCLUSION A pituitary tumor can transform into an ACTH-secreting carcinoma in an indolent manner. Patients with invasive pituitary adenomas require long-term surveillance to monitor for differentiation into pituitary carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Brown
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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18
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Mauermann WJ, Sheehan JP, Chernavvsky DR, Laws ER, Steiner L, Vance ML. Gamma Knife surgery for adrenocorticotropic hormone–producing pituitary adenomas after bilateral adrenalectomy. J Neurosurg 2007; 106:988-93. [PMID: 17564169 DOI: 10.3171/jns.2007.106.6.988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Object
Patients with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)–secreting pituitary adenomas may require a bilateral adrenalectomy to treat their Cushing's disease. Approximately one third of these patients, however, will experience progressive enlargement of the residual pituitary adenoma, develop hyperpigmentation, and have an elevated level of serum ACTH. These patients with Nelson's syndrome can be treated with Gamma Knife surgery (GKS).
Methods
The prospectively collected University of Virginia Gamma Knife database of patients with pituitary adenomas was reviewed to identify all individuals with Nelson's syndrome who were treated with GKS. Twenty-three patients with a minimum of 6 months of follow up were identified in the database. These patients were assessed for tumor control (that is, lack of tumor growth over time) with neuroimaging studies (median follow-up duration 22 months) and for biochemical normalization of their ACTH levels (median follow-up duration 50 months). Neuroimaging follow-up studies were available for 22 patients, and endocrine follow up was available for 15 patients in whom elevation of ACTH levels was documented prior to GKS.
In the 22 patients in whom neuroimaging follow-up studies were available, 12 had a decrease in tumor size, eight had no tumor growth, and two had an increase in tumor volume. Ten of 15 patients with elevated ACTH levels prior to GKS showed a decrease in their ACTH levels at last follow up; three of these 10 patients achieved normal ACTH levels (< 50 pg/ml) and the other five patients with initially elevated values had an increase in ACTH levels.
Ten patients were thoroughly evaluated for post-GKS pituitary function; four were found to have new pituitary hormone deficiency and six did not have hypopituitarism after GKS. One patient suffered a permanent third cranial nerve palsy and four patients are now deceased.
Conclusions
Gamma Knife surgery may control the residual pituitary adenoma and decrease ACTH levels in patients with Nelson's syndrome. Delayed hypopituitarism or cranial nerve palsies can occur after GKS. Patients with Nelson's syndrome require continued multidisciplinary follow-up care. Given the difficulties associated with management of Nelson's syndrome, even the modest results of GKS may be helpful for a number of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Mauermann
- Lars Leksell Gamma Knife Center, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
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19
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Sidibé EH. [Pituitary carcinoma. Anatomic and clinical features of cases reported in literature]. Neurochirurgie 2007; 53:284-8. [PMID: 17524431 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuchi.2007.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2006] [Accepted: 01/04/2007] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Pituitary gland tumors that became aggressive, implying adjacent bone structure and the brain as metastases outside of the cranial box, are referred to as pituitary carcinomas. METHODS We reviewed 67 cases reported in the literature [44 corticotropic pituitary tumors, 11 PRL tumors, 3 GH tumors, 1 TSH tumor, 3 gonadotropic cell tumors and 5 non-functioning tumors]. RESULTS The corticotropic tumors occurred in 23 female and 15 males. Signs of hypercorticism were characteristic: generalized melanosis before adrenalectomy (N=1); headache (N=1); altered visual (N=1); diabetes insipidus (N=1); amenorrhea (N=1); Cushing syndrome (N=2); weight loss (N=1); refractory hypokaliemic alkalosis (N=1); diabetes mellitus (N=1); hypertension (N=1). ACTH, beta-lipotrophin, betaendorphin, alphamelano-stimulating hormone, CRH, and beta-gamma MSH were contributive while ultrastructural microscopy provided little information, as did an equimolar Lph/ACTH ratio. The possible association of prolactin tumors with corticotrophin forms has been underlined. The characteristic feature is a time interval from the initial diagnosis of adenoma to that of cancer, which has ranged from 0.3 to 18 years (mean: 6.6 years; median: 5.0 years). CONCLUSION Corticotropic tumors resistance to high-dose medical treatment are usually aggressive tumors with a risk of recurrence after surgical treatment or even radiotherapy with the risk of metastases. GH tumors appear to predominate although it is known that these cancers can develop in association with corticotrophin cancers or with prolactin cell tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- E H Sidibé
- Département des sciences médicales, université Paris-VII, France.
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20
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Casulari LA, Naves LA, Mello PA, Pereira Neto A, Papadia C. Nelson’s Syndrome: Complete Remission with Cabergoline but Not with Bromocriptine or Cyproheptadine Treatment. Horm Res Paediatr 2004; 62:300-5. [PMID: 15557761 DOI: 10.1159/000082235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2004] [Accepted: 07/21/2004] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A woman affected by Cushing's disease underwent bilateral adrenalectomy followed by radiotherapy of the hypothalamic-pituitary area when she was 18 years old. Thereafter, she used hydrocortisone acetate replacement therapy (35.5 mg divided into two daily doses). At the age of 26 years, the patient exhibited the clinical signs of the Nelson's syndrome, i.e. skin and gingival hyperpigmentation accompanied by amenorrhea, and elevated ACTH plasma levels (2,850 pg/ml, normal range 15-80 pg/ml). The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis of the sellar region evidenced a pituitary macroadenoma, measuring 14 x 13 mm. The patient was initially treated with cyproheptadine hydrochloride (12 mg/day) for 18 months. There was a partial improvement of the symptoms, with a reduction of the ACTH plasma levels to 112 pg/ml, but without any modification of the tumor mass. Due to sleepiness and weight gain, the cyproheptadine treatment was interrupted and substituted by a cabergoline (0.5 mg twice a week) therapy. Soon after cabergoline was applied an improvement of the clinical symptoms and signs was observed such as a regression of the tumor mass and the normalization of the ACTH plasma titers (38 pg/ml). Later, cabergoline was substituted by bromocriptine (7.5 mg/day) and the plasma levels of ACTH increased again (247 pg/ml), and headache and cutaneous hyperpigmentation were recorded. When cabergoline was reintroduced there was a clinical improvement and normalization of ACTH plasma levels (64 pg/ml). The MRI analysis of the sella region demonstrated a complete remission of the pituitary adenoma. The results obtained show for the first time that a long-term treatment with cabergoline also brings about a complete remission of Nelson's syndrome in the presence of a pituitary macroadenoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Augusto Casulari
- Neurosurgery Unit, Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal, Escola Superior em Ciências da Saúde, FEPECS, Brasilia, Brazil.
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21
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Abstract
Pituitary carcinomas, defined as distant metastases of a pituitary neoplasm, are rare; fewer than 140 reports exist in the English literature. The initial presenting pituitary tumor is usually a secreting, invasive macroadenoma, with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)--and prolactin (PRL)--secreting tumors being the most common. The latency period between the diagnosis of a pituitary tumor and the diagnosis of a pituitary carcinoma is 9.5 years for ACTH-producing lesions and 4.7 years for PRL-secreting tumors. Survival after documentation of metastatic disease is poor; 66% of patients die within 1 year. Treatment options include additional surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, all of which are associated with poor results. Future studies will focus on identifying those invasive pituitary tumors most likely to metastasize and treating them aggressively before they progress to pituitary carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian T Ragel
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA
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22
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Abstract
Null-cell carcinomas of the pituitary are extremely rare. We describe a 41-year-old woman with a large adenohypophyseal neoplasm presenting as a primary nonfunctioning tumor without pituitary insufficiency. Signs of mass effect with progressive unilateral ocular motility disorders and anterior pituitary failure developed rapidly. Histopathological examination of the trans-sphenoidally removed tumor showed a primary pituitary null cell tumor with high mitotic index. Pituitary carcinoma was suspected because of rapid relapse of ocular motility disorders and of intra-sellar tumor growth after surgery. Radiotherapy of the sellar and parasellar area with a total dose of 59.4 Gy was performed, achieving marked tumor reduction and a significant improvement of ocular motility disorders. However, 6.5 months after presentation the patient rapidly declined and died of carcinomatous meningitis. Less than 100 pituitary carcinomas have been published so far, most of them as single-case reports, and endocrine, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural data have not been described in the majority of cases. At presentation, there are no specific symptoms that allow to distinguish benign from malignant tumor. Prognosis is poor, since no curative treatment has been established, but aggressive surgery and radiotherapy has been recommended. Our case highlights the poor prognosis of nonfunctioning pituitary carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Nadja Elsässer Imboden
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Alesia Pica
- Service of Radio-Oncology, University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Fulgencio Gomez
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, BH-10, University Hospital-CHUV, CH-1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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23
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Roncaroli F, Scheithauer BW, Young WF, Horvath E, Kovacs K, Kros JM, Al-Sarraj S, Lloyd RV, Faustini-Fustini M. Silent corticotroph carcinoma of the adenohypophysis: a report of five cases. Am J Surg Pathol 2003; 27:477-86. [PMID: 12657932 DOI: 10.1097/00000478-200304000-00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We report five silent corticotroph carcinomas of the pituitary gland. They represent 0.05% of adenohypophyseal tumors surgically treated at Mayo Clinic during a 20-year period and about 5% of all reported pituitary carcinomas. The patients (three females and two males), ranging in age from 26 to 58 years (mean 39 years, median 35 years) presented with symptoms of mass effect; none had Cushing's disease. All tumors were initially invasive macroadenomas, recurred locally, and metastasized, three outside the central nervous system. The follow-up period ranged from 2 to 23 years (mean 10.6 years). All patients died, four of disseminated tumor and one of myocardial infarction. Histologically, three of the primary lesions were indistinguishable from an ordinary benign adenoma. Two were initially diagnosed as atypical adenomas as they featured nuclear pleomorphism, prominent nucleoli, mitotic activity, high MIB-1 labeling indices, and p53 overexpression. For the purpose of comparison, 17 silent corticotroph adenomas were also investigated. In addition, the clinicopathologic features of the silent carcinomas were compared with those of a meta-analysis of published Cushing's disease-associated pituitary carcinomas. The silent adrenocorticotropin carcinomas showed a propensity for extraneural dissemination and an outcome similar to those of the Cushing's disease-associated carcinomas. The two patients with initial atypical tumors died with metastases outside the central nervous system at 2 and 4 years, whereas the three patients with tumors lacking atypia died 16, 18, and 23 years after initial sellar surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Roncaroli
- Department of Oncology, Section of Anatomic and Cytopathology, Bellaria Hospital, Bologna, Italy
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24
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Pollock BE, Young WF. Stereotactic radiosurgery for patients with ACTH-producing pituitary adenomas after prior adrenalectomy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2002; 54:839-41. [PMID: 12377337 DOI: 10.1016/s0360-3016(02)02975-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To review the results of stereotactic radiosurgery for patients with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-producing pituitary adenomas after bilateral adrenalectomy. METHODS AND MATERIALS Eleven patients with ACTH-producing pituitary adenomas after bilateral adrenalectomy underwent radiosurgery between 1990 and 1999. Nine patients had documented tumor growth, hyperpigmentation, and elevated ACTH levels (median 920 ng/mL) at the time of radiosurgery. Five of these patients had tumor enlargement despite prior fractionated radiotherapy (median dose 50 Gy). Two patients were treated prophylactically within 1 month of their adrenalectomies to prevent future tumor growth. The median follow-up was 37 months (range 22-74). RESULTS Tumor growth control was achieved in 9 patients (82%); 2 patients had had continued tumor growth after radiosurgery. The ACTH levels decreased a median of 66% (range -99% to +27%); 4 patients had normal ACTH levels. Three patients had radiation-related complications, including diplopia (n = 2), ipsilateral blindness (n = 1), testosterone/growth hormone deficiency (n = 1), and asymptomatic temporal lobe radiation necrosis (n = 1): all had received prior radiotherapy. One patient who had undergone three prior resections and radiotherapy died 59 months after radiosurgery despite two additional attempts at tumor resection. CONCLUSION Although our experience is limited, it appears that radiosurgery provides tumor control for most patients with ACTH-producing pituitary adenomas who have undergone bilateral adrenalectomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce E Pollock
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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25
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Gaffey TA, Scheithauer BW, Lloyd RV, Burger PC, Robbins P, Fereidooni F, Horvath E, Kovacs K, Kuroki T, Young WF, Sebo TJ, Riehle DL, Belzberg AJ. Corticotroph carcinoma of the pituitary: a clinicopathological study. Report of four cases. J Neurosurg 2002; 96:352-60. [PMID: 11838811 DOI: 10.3171/jns.2002.96.2.0352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
To understand the relationship between pituitary adenoma and carcinoma, four adrenocorticotropic hormone-producing pituitary adenomas and corresponding metastatic carcinomas were studied. All were functional macroadenomas (three cases of Nelson syndrome and one of Cushing disease) that initially invaded the sella turcica and occurred in women ranging in age from 17 to 66 years (mean 45 years). Metastases (two craniospinal and two systemic) occurred after latency periods of 6 to 13 years. Histological specimens were immunostained for pituitary hormones, Ki-67 antigen (MIB-1), p53 and p27 proteins, D-type cyclins, and glucocorticoid receptor messenger (m)RNA. The DNA content of the specimens was assessed using Feulgen stain. Reactivities were quantified by digital image analysis. Primary/recurrent lesions and metastatic tumors differed according to their respective mean mitotic indices (1.2/10 hpf compared with 4.3/10 hpf), MIB-1 labeling (1.7% compared with 8%), p53 staining (37.3% compared with 49.9%), and p27 labeling (48% compared with 25%). Cyclin D, immunoreactivity provided no prognostically significant information. Glucocorticoid receptor mRNA was detected in all cases. Results of a ploidy analysis were variable and nonprognostic. In keeping with the 2000 World Health Organization classification of endocrine neoplasms, our findings support the concept that primary tumors that exhibit mitotic activity, an increased (> 3%) MIB-1 labeling index, and/or p53 immunoreactivity should be termed "atypical adenomas" to denote their aggressive potential and the possibility of future malignant transformation.
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26
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Gazioğlu N, Kadioğlu P, Ocal E, Erman H, Akar Z, Oz B. An unusual presentation of Nelson's syndrome with apoplexy and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Pituitary 2002; 5:267-74. [PMID: 14558676 DOI: 10.1023/a:1025386018586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
A thirty-eight year-old lady with a history of bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease seven years previously, presented with sudden onset of severe headache, nausea, vomiting and loss of consciousness. She was somnolent and confused. She had neck stiffness, sixth nerve palsy and mydriasis on the left side. Computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies revealed a non-homogeneous, grade IV D pituitary mass lesion associated with hemorrhage in the chiasmatic, interhemispheric, cerebellopontine, perimesencephalic cisterns and a hematoma within the frontal lobe. Angiography showed only bilateral elevation of horizontal segments of the anterior cerebral arteries. According to this angiographic evidence, it was presumed that the subarachnoid hemorrhage and the intracerebral hematoma were linked to pituitary adenoma apoplexy. ACTH level was 450 pg/ml. The hemorrhagic lesion with suprasellar extension was totally removed by left pterional craniotomy. Histological examination revealed a necrotic, ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma. Even though apoplexy is a well known complication of pituitary adenomas, to our knowledge subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hematoma as a result of pituitary apoplexy in the context of Nelson's syndrome has not previously been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurperi Gazioğlu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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27
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Pichard C, Gerber S, Laloi M, Kujas M, Clemenceau S, Ponvert D, Bruckert E, Turpin G. Pituitary carcinoma: report of an exceptional case and review of the literature. J Endocrinol Invest 2002; 25:65-72. [PMID: 11883868 DOI: 10.1007/bf03343963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Pituitary carcinomas are exceptional tumors and constitute 0.1 to 0.2% of pituitary tumors. Their definition includes well-established criteria but distant metastasis is the hallmark required for diagnosis. We report the fourth case of gonadotropic pituitary carcinoma described in the literature. This case illustrates the dramatic outcome of these tumors. The most interesting feature of our case was the loss of differentiation with time, established by retrospective analysis of the primary tumor surgically treated 15 years earlier. Most of the previously reported cases exhibited a majority of adrenocoticotropin and non-functioning pituitary tumors. However, the frequency of non-functioning tumors seems smaller than previously believed. In the discussion, we stress the need to detect these very aggressive tumors as early as possible and identify treatments to improve the dramatic course of these carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Pichard
- Department of Endocrinology, Groupe Hospitalier La Pitié Salpetriêre, Paris, France.
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28
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Zahedi A, Booth GL, Smyth HS, Farrell WE, Clayton RN, Asa SL, Ezzat S. Distinct clonal composition of primary and metastatic adrencorticotrophic hormone-producing pituitary carcinoma. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2001; 55:549-56. [PMID: 11678840 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2265.2001.01322.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying pituitary tumorigenesis are largely unknown. Previous reports have suggested that aggressive pituitary adenomas and/or carcinomas may be associated with genetic alterations that are distinct from those responsible for the more common and less aggressive pituitary adenomas. Here, we describe the clonal composition of a pituitary carcinoma, its recurrence and its metastasis. The samples studied were from a 48-year-old woman who presented with recurrent Cushing's syndrome. During the 8-year course of her disease, she had an ACTH-producing pituitary carcinoma requiring two transsphenoidal procedures and resection of a metastatic cervical lymph node. Her disease remained active despite surgical resection, external beam irradiation and medical treatment with ketoconazole. Ultimately, bilateral adrenalectomy was performed to control the hypercortisolism. Morphological and immunohistochemical studies revealed that the primary and recurrent pituitary tumours and the metastatic lesion were an endocrine tumour with ACTH and growth hormone immunoreactivity. Primary, recurrent and metastatic tumour DNAs were analysed for X-chromosome inactivation and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at several microsatellite loci on chromosomes 9,10, 11, 13 and 22. All three lesions were monoclonal in composition as suggested by the pattern of X chromosome inactivation of the PGK-1 allele. Moreover, the primary, recurrent and metastatic lesions demonstrated LOH at the microsatellite allelic markers PYGM and D10S217. In contrast, however, the metastatic lesion showed a loss-to-retention pattern at two distinct loci (IFNA and D22S156) compared to the primary and recurrent pituitary tumours. These findings, while consistent with a clonal composition of the primary and metastatic pituitary lesions, show each clone to be distinct. This is the first description of a metastatic pituitary carcinoma with a distinct clonal composition from its primary source.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Zahedi
- Department of Medicine, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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29
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Norton
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
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30
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Scheithauer BW, Fereidooni F, Horvath E, Kovacs K, Robbins P, Tews D, Henry K, Pernicone P, Gaffrey TA, Meyer FB, Young WF, Fahlbusch R, Buchfelder M, Lloyd RV. Pituitary carcinoma: an ultrastructural study of eleven cases. Ultrastruct Pathol 2001; 25:227-42. [PMID: 11465479 DOI: 10.1080/019131201300343865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Pituitary carcinomas are very rare. Defined as adenohypophysial tumors that undergo craniospinal and/or systemic metastasis, most are PRL- or ACTH-producing. Their ultrastructural features, particularly relative to benign adenomas of similar functional type, have not been sufficiently explored. Eleven cases of immunohistochemically characterized pituitary carcinoma with documented cerebrospinal and/or systemic metastases were collected from various institutions and studied by transmission electron microscopy. The tumors were surgically removed from 7 women and 4 men ranging in age between 28 and 74 years (mean, 50 years). All were endocrinologically functioning. Six tumors secreted PRL; three were ACTH-producing; one each was GH/PRL- and TSH-producing. The patients with the ACTH-producing tumors had all presented with Cushing's disease and two of them had undergone adrenalectomy (Nelson syndrome). In most cases significant cellular atypia and mitotic activity were observed. In terms of morphologic features of functional differentiation, electron microscopy revealed that in 9 cases the tumor cells maintained at least some ultrastructural markers of their basic phenotype. A unique feature in 2 ACTH carcinomas was the variable admixture of smooth endoplasmic reticulum with intermediate (cytokeratin) filaments. In 2 cases, both PRL-producing carcinomas, the cell type comprising the tumor could not be identified on an ultrastructural basis alone. Ultrastructural investigation of pituitary carcinomas confirms their endocrine nature and, in most but not all cases, reveals their functional differentiation. Despite the diagnostic utility of electron microscopy in the assessment of these rare tumors, the distinction of pituitary carcinoma from pituitary adenoma cannot be firmly made on ultrastructural grounds alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- B W Scheithauer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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Holthouse DJ, Robbins PD, Kahler R, Knuckey N, Pullan P. Corticotroph pituitary carcinoma: case report and literature review. Endocr Pathol 2001; 12:329-41. [PMID: 11740054 DOI: 10.1385/ep:12:3:329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Pituitary carcinomas, currently defined as primary adenohypophyseal neoplasms with evidence of either brain invasion or metastatic spread, are exceptionally rare. A case of corticotroph pituitary carcinoma is reported. A 17-year-old female first presented with an invasive and clinically non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma. The primary pituitary lesion lacked atypical histological features and retrospective immunohistochemical studies confirmed its corticotrophic nature. Repeated episodes of local recurrence followed together with the acquisition of severe Cushing's disease. Local disease control was not obtained despite repeated surgical decompression and courses of radiation therapy. Systemic dissemination with multiple bone metastases became manifest eleven years after the first presentation. Atypical histological features and Crooke's hyaline change were evident in both the recurrent and metastatic disease. She remains alive at last follow-up with severe complications relating to persisting sellar and metastatic disease and ongoing endocrine dysfunction. A further 32 cases of pituitary corticotroph carcinoma reported in English are reviewed to highlight the clinicopathological features of this rare form of pituitary neoplasm. Difficulties associated with the diagnosis and management of pituitary carcinoma are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Holthouse
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia
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Kemink SA, Grotenhuis JA, De Vries J, Pieters GF, Hermus AR, Smals AG. Management of Nelson's syndrome: observations in fifteen patients. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2001; 54:45-52. [PMID: 11167925 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2265.2001.01187.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To analyse the results of different treatment modalities for Nelson's syndrome, which was defined as radiological evidence of a pituitary macroadenoma, fasting plasma ACTH levels of more than 200 pmol/l after stopping glucocorticoid substitution for at least 24 h in a patient who had undergone bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease. DESIGN The medical reports of all Nelson's patients known in our hospital were studied with regard to treatment modalities and result of treatment. Clinical remission of Nelson's syndrome was defined as a reduction of tumour size to a diameter of 10 mm or less and fasting plasma ACTH levels less than 200 pmol/l after stopping glucocorticoid substitution for at least 24 h. PATIENTS Fifteen women with Nelson's syndrome were studied. Bilateral adrenalectomy had been performed 1-29 years before Nelson's syndrome was diagnosed. Before adrenalectomy eight patients had undergone unsuccessful transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. RESULTS Eight patients were initially followed without surgical or radiotherapeutical intervention during 1-7 years. In seven of them, plasma ACTH levels and tumour volumes increased progressively during this rather short observation period, with development of extrasellar extension in four patients. In one of these patients, who was planned for elective pituitary surgery, massive pituitary haemorrhage occurred which was fatal despite emergency pituitary surgery. Elective pituitary surgery was performed in 11 patients, of whom three were operated twice. Clinical remission was documented in five patients in the first year after operation. In one patient postoperative MR-imaging revealed no residual tumour mass but the postoperative plasma ACTH level was still elevated. In another patient a residual intrasellar macroadenoma and an increased plasma ACTH level remained stable for 22 years. The remaining four patients received postoperative radiotherapy because of residual tumour masses. Of these patients, one had a clinical remission. In two others relatively small residual intrasellar tumour masses remain, with a fasting plasma ACTH level of more than 200 pmol/l in one of them. The fourth patient died of the consequences of progressive tumour growth. Radiotherapy was the only treatment in two patients and did not result in clinical remission. Tumour volumes and plasma ACTH levels at the time of diagnosis of Nelson's syndrome were positively correlated (r = + 0.61, P < 0.05). This correlation was stronger at the moment of decision of either pituitary surgery or radiotherapy (r = + 0.85, P < 0.001). At the end of the follow-up period the correlation between tumour volumes and plasma ACTH levels in the combined pituitary surgery and/or irradiation only group was + 0.77 (P < 0.001). In the pituitary surgery group tumour volumes before and after surgery were directly correlated (r = + 0.70, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that pituitary surgery of Nelson's macroadenomas is more successful when Nelson's adenomas are relatively small. Pituitary surgery should be performed before extrasellar expansion of the tumour occurs in order to attain long lasting remissions. Pituitary irradiation should be performed postoperatively in all patients with residual tumour. Our data also illustrate that in patients with Nelson's syndrome, plasma ACTH levels can reliably be used as an indirect approximation for tumour volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Kemink
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University Hospital Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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