This is a review article on published cases of the rare Crooke’s pituitary adenoma. These tumors are usually invasive and may be clinically aggressive; they may be endocrinologically silent or may produce adrenocorticotropic hormone causing Cushing’s disease. They often recur and have a low success of cure after reoperation and / or radiotherapy for recurrence. According to the authors, often there is lack of awareness amongst clinicians due to rarity of these tumours. This also makes it difficult to assess prognosis, treatment and clinical management. This article discusses the clinical and histopathological characteristics of these unusual neoplasms to improve awareness amongst physicians and neurosurgeons regarding their potential clinical aggressiveness. Current knowledge of ultrastructural and histological findings has made identification of these tumours more feasible. The authors recommend that patients diagnosed with these rare tumours should undergo strict clinical, radiological and biochemical follow-up over time as well as eventual multimodality treatment.
Rare, aggressive pituitary adenomas
Reviewed by Gauri Mankekar
Crooke’s cell tumors of the pituitary.
CONTRIBUTOR
Gauri Mankekar
Department of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.
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