Metastasis of a small cell carcinoma from undetected origin to the pituitary gland--the otolaryngologist's view.
Tumour metastasis to the anterior pituitary-hypothalamic area is rare. We present a patient who had severe headache, bitemporal quadrant hemianopsia and an expanding mass in the sella turcica as revealed by MRI. Partial resection via a transsphenoidal approach was performed and postoperative radiation therapy was initiated. Immunohistochemical investigation identified the tumour as a metastatic small cell carcinoma whose primary site remained undetected for more than 12 months despite repeated oncological evaluations. We reviewed the literature on metastatic disease of the pituitary gland.
Eloy
Ph
P
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Mont-Godinne, Université Catholique de Louvain, Yvoir, Belgium. philippe.eloy@orlo.ucl.ac.be
Evrard
A S
AS
Donckier
J
J
Godfraind
C
C
Gustin
Th
T
Collet
St
S
Rombaux
Ph
P
Bertrand
B
B
D000368:Aged; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy*