Articles

Vol. 1 No. 3 (2005): B-ENT

Metastasis of a small cell carcinoma from undetected origin to the pituitary gland – The otolaryngologist’s view

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Ph. Eloy
A-S. Evrard
J. Donckier
C. Godfraind
Th. Gustin
St. Collet
Ph. Rombaux
B. Bertrand

Abstract

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.


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