Progression on metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma from a recurrent prolactinoma:: a case report

A 54 year old man was referred to the department of neurosurgery for frontal headache and vomiting. The patient was known in the department because of previous multiple surgery for a locally invasive pituitary prolactinoma (eight years, three years, and one year previously). The neurological examination revealed a frontal mass, which adhered to the dura, suggesting a meningioma. One year later, a left temporal metastasis was removed. Three months later, the patient died, with spinal metastases, of massive lung embolism. Histology revealed a progression of adenohypophyseal prolactinoma on neuroendocrine carcinoma, with an increase in proliferating indexes and modification of hormone production. This study documents a 10 year history of a rare prolactin producing pituitary carcinoma, which metastasised via liquoral flow.