Metastasis

Prostate cancer

Pituitary tumors

Malignancy

Primary tumor

Cancer research

Hypothalamus

Diabetes insipidus

Melanoma

Mammillary body

Hypopituitarism

Metastatic breast cancer

Pituitary gland

Internal medicine

Hormone

Oncology

Medicine

Breast cancer

Cancer

Pathology

Neuroendocrinology

The pituitary fossa is an uncommon site for metastatic tumor spread. Metastatic lesions to the sellar area derived mostly from breast, lung, renal, prostate, and colon cancers, and rarely from other solid and hematologic malignancies. Almost every cancer has been reported as a source of pituitary metastasis. Pituitary metastasis can involve both the anterior and posterior lobes, but the neuro-hypophysis is mainly involved. Clinical manifestations include diabetes insipidus, hypopituitarism, headache, visual disturbances, ophthalmoplegia, and also compression of adjacent structures by aggressive tumor masses. Metastatic spread to the pituitary from a distant primary malignancy is commonly associated with metastases to other tissues and poor prognosis, unless efficient systemic targeted medical treatment is available for the primary cancer (melanoma, lymphoma).

Metastatic Spread to the Pituitary