Pituitary Carcinoma

Abstract

The presence of distant metastases may be asymptomatic in patients who present with symptoms and signs due to the local mass effects of an invasive pituitary adenoma. A case of pituitary carcinoma in a 54-year-old man who presented with widespread asymptomatic distant metastases 12 years after initial diagnosis is reviewed. The long course and asymptomatic metastases suggested a relatively slow-growing malignancy. The factors that played a role in the pathogenesis of the metastasis are unknown. A review of the literature on pituitary carcinoma suggests that accurate diagnosis and a multidisciplinary approach to management of such lesions emphasizing surgery, radiotherapy, and hormonal manipulation may provide these patients with the longest and best quality of survival.