BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine tumours are most frequently located in the gastrointestinal organ system or in the lungs, but they may occasionally be found in other organs. CASE: We describe a 56-year-old woman suffering from a carcinoid syndrome caused by a large serotonin-secreting pituitary tumour. She had suffered for years from episodes of palpitations, dyspnoea and flushing. Cardiac disease had been suspected, which delayed the diagnosis, until blood tests revealed elevated serotonin and chromogranin A in plasma. The somatostatin receptor (SSR) scintigraphy showed a single-positive focus in the region of the pituitary gland and MRI showed a corresponding intra- and suprasellar heterogeneous mass. After pre-treatment with octreotide leading to symptomatic improvement, the patient underwent trans-cranial surgery with removal of the tumour. This led to a clinical improvement and to a normalisation of SSR scintigraphy, as well as serotonin and chromogranin A levels. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a serotonin-secreting tumour with a primary location in the pituitary.
BACKGROUND:Neuroendocrine tumours are most frequently located in the gastrointestinal organ system or in the lungs, but they may occasionally be found in other organs. CASE: We describe a 56-year-old woman suffering from a carcinoid syndrome caused by a large serotonin-secreting pituitary tumour. She had suffered for years from episodes of palpitations, dyspnoea and flushing. Cardiac disease had been suspected, which delayed the diagnosis, until blood tests revealed elevated serotonin and chromogranin A in plasma. The somatostatin receptor (SSR) scintigraphy showed a single-positive focus in the region of the pituitary gland and MRI showed a corresponding intra- and suprasellar heterogeneous mass. After pre-treatment with octreotide leading to symptomatic improvement, the patient underwent trans-cranial surgery with removal of the tumour. This led to a clinical improvement and to a normalisation of SSR scintigraphy, as well as serotonin and chromogranin A levels. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a serotonin-secreting tumour with a primary location in the pituitary.
Authors: Ken Ho; Maria Fleseriu; Ursula Kaiser; Roberto Salvatori; Thierry Brue; M Beatriz Lopes; Pamela Kunz; Mark Molitch; Sally A Camper; Mônica Gadelha; Luis V Syro; Edward Laws; Martin Reincke; Hiroshi Nishioka; Ashley Grossman; Ariel Barkan; Felipe Casanueva; John Wass; Adam Mamelak; Laurence Katznelson; Aart J van der Lely; Sally Radovick; Martin Bidlingmaier; Margaret Boguszewski; Jens Bollerslev; Andrew R Hoffman; Nelson Oyesiku; Gerald Raverot; Anat Ben-Shlomo; Rob Fowkes; Ilan Shimon; Hidenori Fukuoka; Alberto M Pereira; Yona Greenman; Anthony P Heaney; Mark Gurnell; Gudmundur Johannsson; Robert Y Osamura; Michael Buchfelder; Maria Chiara Zatelli; Marta Korbonits; Philippe Chanson; Nienke Biermasz; David R Clemmons; Niki Karavitaki; Marcello D Bronstein; Peter Trainer; Shlomo Melmed Journal: J Endocr Soc Date: 2021-02-09