High-grade gliomas (HGGs; WHO grade III or IV) are the most common and lethal brain malignancy. Patients of Hispanic ethnicity are diagnosed with HGGs earlier than non-Hispanic patients, but they exhibit improved HGG survival following diagnosis. Either environmental or biological factors could explain this survival benefit. We aimed to determine if post-diagnosis advantages would still be present in Hispanic patients with high social vulnerability, an environmental condition predisposing patients to poor oncologic outcomes. HGG outcomes were retrospectively assessed in a cohort of 22 Hispanic patients and 33 non-Hispanic patients treated for HGGs from 2015 to 2020 at a single institution that serves a highly vulnerable region. Compared to non-Hispanic patients, Hispanic patients demonstrated higher social vulnerability index scores (96.8 + 0.7 vs. 76.3 + 4.6; *** p = 0.0002) and a 14-month longer interval between diagnosis and recurrence (19.7 + 5.9 (n = 13) vs. 5.5 + 0.6 months (n = 19); ** p = 0.001). In only those patients with more aggressive IDH-1 wildtype tumors (glioblastoma), Hispanic ethnicity still related to a longer time before recurrence (15.8 + 5.9 months (n = 9); 5.5 + 0.6 months (n = 18); * p = 0.034), and in a multivariate analysis, Hispanic ethnicity predicted time-to-recurrence (* p = 0.027) independent of patient age, functional status, MGMT gene methylation, or treatments received. Therefore, environmental factors, specifically social vulnerability, did not obscure the post-diagnosis benefits associated with Hispanic ethnicity. In future experiments, basic studies should be prioritized which investigate the cellular or genetic mechanisms underlying this ethnicity effect on HGG progression in the hopes of improving care for these devastating malignancies.
Introduction and Importance: Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a clinical syndrome caused by ischemia or hemorrhage of the pituitary gland, typically in the context of an adenoma. It typically presents with a thunderclap headache and sterile cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). The authors identify a case of PA, which initially presented with the signs and symptoms of viral meningitis. Presentation of Case: A 44-year-old man presented to the emergency department with headache, nuchal rigidity, fever, and delirium. The patient reported a 10-year history of chronic that were partially responsive to acetaminophen. Four days after admission, the patient developed right-sided cranial nerve III, IV, and VI palsies. Labs revealed anemia and hyponatremia. The CSF was leukocytic, lymphocyte-predominant, and had elevated protein. In addition to these results, negative CSF bacterial cultures led the care team to believe this case was viral meningoencephalitis. Routine MRI of the brain at presentation revealed a 3.1×2.5×3.2 (craniocaudal×anterior posterior×transverse) expansile mass centered within the sella turcica. An endocrine workup revealed hypopituitarism. The diagnosis of PA was then made. A microscopic transsphenoidal resection of the sellar mass was performed, and histopathologic analysis confirmed necrotic pituitary adenoma tissue. Following an uncomplicated procedure, the patient recovered fully from his cranial nerve palsies and continues to do well. Discussion: Because life-threatening hypotension from acute adrenal insufficiency can be caused by PA, timely diagnosis is crucial. When a patient presents with meningism, PA should be included in the differential diagnosis. Conclusion: This report illustrates a case of PA presenting with symptoms and a CSF profile classically associated with viral meningitis.