Metastasis to the pituitary gland from lung cancer: Case report and review

Abstract

Lung cancer metastasis to the pituitary gland is an unusual pathology. In this report, we present a 63-year-old woman with pituitary gland mass due to lung cancer metastasis. The patient was admitted to our hospital because of difficulty of vision. She had a lung cancer diagnosis (adenocarcinoma) and had an operation for a mass in the left lung. There was no problem with her follow-up except vision difficulty that was noted in her last examination. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed a pituitary mass in her sella turcica. The magnetic resonance imaging also showed left frontal metastatic mass. Radiotherapy was performed but failed, and the mass lesion was found to have progressed. The patient died 3 months after the diagnosis of metastasis was established. This case represents a rare report in the literature. Pituitary metastases may rarely be seen in the late stages of lung cancer and are even more rare in women. Clinical characteristics generally resemble the other hormonally unfunctional pituitary masses. Radiotherapy may not be as effective as for the other cranial metastases. © 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.