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Undifferentiated Sarcoma of the Sellar Region

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Abstract

Malignancies lacking specific features of cellular maturation are termed “undifferentiated” and represent 5–10% of all human tumors. They are encountered at a variety of sites but do not, as a rule, arise in the sellar region. A 39-year-old male with a history of testicular seminoma and an unsuccessful biopsy of a third ventricular neoplasm, presented with visual disturbances and memory loss. Light microscopically, the tumor consisted entirely of undifferentiated spindle cells. No germ cell component was noted. An exhaustive immunohistochemical study found immunoreactivity for vimentin and desmin, but for no other myoid markers. Polymerase chain reaction showed no X;18 translocation. Based upon these studies, a diagnosis of “undifferentiated sarcoma” was made. Our case, being highly unusual among reported sellar neoplasms, underscores the difficulties inherent in the differential diagnosis of undifferentiated neoplasms.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mrs. Denise Chase for her secretarial assistance as well as Mr. Jesus Rodriguez and the Jarislowsky and Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundations for their generous support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Branavan Manoranjan, Eva Horvath, Fateme Salehi & Kalman Kovacs

  2. Division of Neurosurgery, St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Branavan Manoranjan, Fateme Salehi & Michael D. Cusimano

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Clinica Medellin and Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe, Medellin, Colombia

    Luis V. Syro

  4. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street, SW, 55905, Rochester, MN, USA

    Bernd W. Scheithauer

  5. Department of Neuro-Oncology, Clinica Las Americas, Medellin, Colombia

    Leon D. Ortiz

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  1. Branavan Manoranjan
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  3. Bernd W. Scheithauer
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  4. Leon D. Ortiz
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  6. Fateme Salehi
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Correspondence to Bernd W. Scheithauer.

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Manoranjan, B., Syro, L.V., Scheithauer, B.W. et al. Undifferentiated Sarcoma of the Sellar Region. Endocr Pathol 22, 159–164 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-011-9166-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-011-9166-7

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