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Intra-, para-, and suprasellar nuclear protein of testis carcinoma with infiltration of cavernous sinus and clivus—a case report

  • Case Report - Pituitaries
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Abstract

A nuclear protein of testis (NUT) carcinoma, also known as NUT midline carcinoma, is a rare subtype of squamous carcinoma known for its aggressive growth behaviour. It can form anywhere in the body. Although, it usually occurs along midline structures (head, neck, lungs). The authors present the first report of intrasellar NUT carcinoma with cavernous sinus infiltration in a 47-year-old patient. MRI showed an inhomogeneous, gadolinium-enhancing lesion with intra- and suprasellar growth, invasion of the cavernous sinus without clear differentiation from normal pituitary tissue. Given the lymphoma diagnosis in the frozen section and invasion of the cavernous sinus, the patient underwent endoscopic, transnasal, and transsphenoidal subtotal resection only. Local tumour and spinal metastases showed a good response to radio-chemotherapy. Despite combined radio-chemotherapy, the patient died of pulmonary insufficiency due to rapid progression of pulmonary metastasis 6 months after the initial diagnosis.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author [LT]. The data are not publicly available due to restrictions (e.g., these contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants).

Abbreviations

NUT:

Nuclear protein of testis

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

HDACi:

Histone deacetylase inhibitors

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery and Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 10, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland

    Lazar Tosic, Stefanos Voglis, Luca Regli & Carlo Serra

  2. Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Frauenklinikstrasse 10, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland

    Anna Maria Reuss & Elisabeth Jane Rushing

Authors
  1. Lazar Tosic
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  2. Stefanos Voglis
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  3. Anna Maria Reuss
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  4. Elisabeth Jane Rushing
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  5. Luca Regli
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  6. Carlo Serra
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Stefanos Voglis, Anna Maria Reuss and Elisabeth Jane Rushing performed the material preparation, data collection, and analysis. Lazar Tosic wrote the first draft of the manuscript and all the authors commented on previous versions. Carlo Serra and Luca Regli read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lazar Tosic.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants followed the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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The participant gave informed consent to be included in the study.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Pituitaries

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Tosic, L., Voglis, S., Reuss, A.M. et al. Intra-, para-, and suprasellar nuclear protein of testis carcinoma with infiltration of cavernous sinus and clivus—a case report. Acta Neurochir 164, 1105–1110 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-021-05065-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-021-05065-x

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