Diagnosis, Therapy, and Therapeutic Effects in Cases of Pituitary Metastasis

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to summarize the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of pituitary metastasis. METHODS: Ten patients from the Department of Neurosurgery of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital from April 1997 to August 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The participants included 7 males (70%) and 3 females (30%), with an average age of 60.4 years. The most common initial clinical feature was visual disability (50%). The postoperative pathology reports indicated 1 case (10%) of metastatic large-cell pulmonary carcinoma, 2 cases (20%) of metastatic small cell pulmonary carcinoma, 2 cases (20%) of clear cell renal carcinoma metastasis, and 5 cases (50%) of metastasis of adenocarcinomas from different areas. All the patients underwent a thorough follow-up, and the average survival was 144 days. CONCLUSIONS: Pituitary metastasis is a rare disease. Its diagnosis depends on the clinical manifestations and radiologic results. The primary therapeutic method is surgery and subsequent radiotherapy and chemotherapy; however, the prognosis of this disease is poor.