Pituitary Cancer

Excerpt

The pituitary gland occupies the sella turcica, a bony depression within the sphenoid bone, and consists of anterior and posterior segments. The anterior portion, known as the adenohypophysis, contains glandular tissue, while the posterior segment, or neurohypophysis, consists of neural tissue. Connection to the hypothalamus occurs through the pituitary stalk, which provides a portal circulation to the anterior pituitary and a neuronal pathway to the posterior pituitary. Hormones secreted by the hypothalamus regulate the anterior pituitary, whereas the hypothalamus produces the posterior pituitary hormones that remain stored in the posterior lobe until release.

Tumors arising from the anterior pituitary gland represent approximately 15% of all intracranial neoplasms and are most often benign adenomas. However, in rare cases, these tumors acquire the ability to metastasize, becoming classified as pituitary carcinoma. Pituitary carcinoma differs from secondary metastases to the pituitary gland originating from systemic malignancies, eg, lung or breast cancer, and, less frequently, from prostate, kidney, or colon cancer, among others.