OBJECTIVE:. The traditional boundaries of the transsphenoidal approach may be expanded to include the region from the cribriform plate of the anterior

Only 1% of all pituitary surgeries are performed to treat tumors that have metastasized to the pituitary gland; however, in certain cases of malignant neoplasms pituitary metastases do occur. Breast and lung cancers are the most common diseases that metastasize to the pituitary. Breast cancer metastasizes to the pituitary especially frequently, with reported rates ranging between 6 and 8% of cases. Most pituitary metastases are asymptomatic, with only 7% reported to be symptomatic. Diabetes insipidus, anterior pituitary dysfunction, visual field defects, headache/pain, and ophthalmoplegia are the most commonly reported symptoms. Diabetes insipidus is especially common in this population, occurring in between 29 and 71% of patients who experience symptoms. Differentiation of pituitary metastasis from other pituitary tumors based on neuroimaging alone can be difficult, although certain features, such as thickening of the pituitary stalk, invasion of the cavernous sinus, and sclerosis of the surrounding sella turcica, can indicate metastasis to the pituitary gland. Overall, neurohypophysial involvement seems to be most prevalent, but breast metastases appear to have an affinity for the adenohypophysis. Differentiating metastasis to the pituitary gland from bone metastasis to the skull base, which invades the sella turcica, can also be difficult. In metastasis to the pituitary gland, surrounding sclerosis in the sella turcica is usually minimal compared with metastasis to the skull base. Treatment for these tumors is often multimodal and includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Tumor invasiveness can make resection difficult. Although surgical series have not shown any significant survival benefits given by tumor resection, the patient's quality of life may be improved. Survival among these patients is poor with mean survival rates reported to range between 6 and 22 months.

Pituitary carcinomas, defined as distant metastases of a pituitary neoplasm, are rare; fewer than 140 reports exist in the English literature. The initial presenting pituitary tumor is usually a secreting, invasive macroadenoma, with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)– and prolactin (PRL)–secreting tumors being the most common. The latency period between the diagnosis of a pituitary tumor and the diagnosis of a pituitary carcinoma is 9.5 years for ACTH-producing lesions and 4.7 years for PRL-secreting tumors. Survival after documentation of metastatic disease is poor; 66% of patients die within 1 year. Treatment options include additional surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, all of which are associated with poor results. Future studies will focus on identifying those invasive pituitary tumors most likely to metastasize and treating them aggressively before they progress to pituitary carcinomas.

Object: The optimal management of glomus jugulare tumors remains controversial. Available treatments were once associated with poor outcomes and significant complication rates. Advances in skull base surgery and the delivery of radiation therapy by stereotactic radiosurgery have improved the results obtained using these treatment options. The authors summarize and compare the contemporary outcomes and complications for these therapies. Methods: Papers published between 1994 and 2004 that detailed the use of radiosurgery or surgery to treat glomus jugulare tumors were reviewed. Eight radiosurgery series including 142 patients and seven surgical studies including 374 patients were evaluated for neurological outcome, change in tumor size (radiosurgery) or percent of total resection (surgery), recurrences, tumor control, need for further treatment, and complications. The mean age at treatment for patients who underwent surgery and radiosurgery was 47.3 and 56.7 years, respectively. The mean follow-up duration was 49.2 and 39.4 months, respectively. The surgical control rate was 92.1%, with 88.2% of tumors totally resected in the initial surgery. A cerebrospinal fluid leak occurred in 8.3% of patients who underwent surgery and recurrences were found in 3.1%; the mortality rate was 1.3%. Among patients who underwent radiosurgery, tumors diminished in 36.5%, whereas 61.3% had no change in tumor size, and subjective or objective improvements occurred in 39%. Despite the presence of residual tumor in 100% of radiosurgically treated patients, recurrences were found in only 2.1%, the morbidity rate was 8.5%, and there were no deaths. Conclusions: Death and recurrences after these treatments are infrequent, and therefore both treatments are considered to be safe and efficacious. Although surgery is associated with higher morbidity rates, it immediately and totally eliminates the tumor. The radiosurgery results are very promising, although the incidence of late recurrence (after 10–20 years) is unknown.