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Giant Prolactinoma Presenting As a Base of Skull Tumor With Nasopharyngeal Extension: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall in Neuroendocrine Lesions of the Base of Skull

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Abstract

Pituitary adenomas presenting in uncommon anatomical locations are commonly misdiagnosed. Dramatic clinical presentation with hemorrhage and infarction, along with a lack of endocrine symptoms may further confound the diagnosis in some patients as illustrated in one of our two previously reported cases of non-small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the sinonasal tract and nasopharynx. This report presents the clinical progress of case number 2, which has a revised diagnosis of giant lactotroph pituitary adenoma. Common clinical, radiological and pathological pitfalls in diagnosis of neuroendocrine neoplasms of the sinonasal tract and base of skull are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada

    Amy Prawira & Lillian L. Siu

  2. Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada

    Dorothy Lazinski

  3. Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada

    Bayardo Perez-Ordonez

Authors
  1. Amy Prawira
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  2. Dorothy Lazinski
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  3. Lillian L. Siu
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  4. Bayardo Perez-Ordonez
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Correspondence to Bayardo Perez-Ordonez.

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Informed consent was obtained from the individual included in the study.

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Prawira, A., Lazinski, D., Siu, L.L. et al. Giant Prolactinoma Presenting As a Base of Skull Tumor With Nasopharyngeal Extension: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall in Neuroendocrine Lesions of the Base of Skull. Head and Neck Pathol 11, 537–540 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-017-0782-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-017-0782-5

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