Pituitary Metastatic Carcinoma: Analysis of Four Misdiagnosed Cases and a Literature Review
YANG Bao
ZHU Hai-bo
ZHANG Ni-jia
JINGA Tao
WANG Ji-sheng
JIA Wang
JIA Gui-jun
WANG Shuo
Abstract：Objective To analyze clinical features and misdiagnosed causes of pituitary metastatic carcinoma so as to improve the diagnosis and treatment for pituitary metastatic carcinoma.Methods Clinical data of 4 misdiagnosed patients with pituitary metastatic carcinoma admitted during August 2010 to August 2013 was retrospectively analyzed, and related literature was also reviewed.Results The main symptom of the 4 patients was hypopsia, there were 2 patients associated by diabetes insipidus, 2 patients associated by headache and 1 patient associated by ocular motility disorders, and all patients had different degrees of hypopituitarism.Preoperative iconography examination for the 4 patients showed that occupying lesions in saddle area, but the 4 patients were misdiagnosed as having craniopharyngioma, pituitary adenoma, tuberculum sellae meningioma and chordoma respectively.Tumor resection was performed for all patients, and metastatic adenocarcinoma was confirmed by postoperative pathological examination.Primary lesions of two patients came from the lung, and one came from mammary gland, but another patient did not find source because of the economy.Conclusion Pituitary metastatic carcinoma is a rare lesion in intracalvarium, and most lesions come from mammary gland and lungs.Primary manifestations mainly are optic nerve lesion, diabetes insipidus, hypopituitarism and extraocular palsy.The differential diagnosis of pituitary metastatic carcinoma with other tumors in saddle area is difficult, and confirmed diagnosis should be performed pathological examination.
Keywords：Pituitary neoplasmsNeoplasm metastasisMisdiagnosisCraniopharyngiomaPituitary adenomaTuberculum sellae meningiomaChordoma
Publication Date：2017-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 6-10 )