title: Response of silent corticotroph pituitary carcinoma to chemotherapy: case report.
abstract: Silent pituitary corticotroph carcinomas are rare, with only six previously described cases in the literature. We report a patient with a silent pituitary corticotroph adenoma treated with multiple trans-sphenoidal resections. Twelve years after her initial presentation, she returned with leptomeningeal metastases to the posterior fossa, foramen magnum, and numerous other subarachnoid locations involving the spine. Histopathology obtained from the metastatic foci was identical to previous trans-sphenoidal specimens - consistent with the diagnosis of corticotroph pituitary carcinoma. A carboplatin and etoposide chemotherapy regimen successfully arrested disease progression and produced regression of multiple radiographically documented leptomeningeal deposits. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with silent pituitary carcinoma treated successfully with chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA - lucy.he@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Jonathan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Forbes
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Highfield Nickols
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Utz
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moots
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D052680:Corticotrophs / Q000187:drug effects*; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005047:Etoposide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005047:Etoposide; D016190:Carboplatin