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Contribution of the daily melatonin profile to diagnosis of tumors of the pineal region

  • Clinical study - patient study
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Abstract

Tumors of the pineal region (TPR) include different entities: germ cell tumors (GCT), pineal parenchymal tumors (PPT), meningiomas, and glial tumors. Except for GCT, there are no peripheral markers and histopathological diagnosis needs biopsy or surgery. We studied daily melatonin variations in twenty-nine patients with TPR and five with tectal plate glioma (TPG), used as controls, before and/or after surgery. Before surgery, a melatonin nycthemeral rhythm was observed in patients with TPG and TPR (one cyst, three PPT, one papillary tumor of the pineal region, two meningiomas, six gliomas). Melatonin rhythm was dramatically reduced for undifferentiated or invasive tumors. After surgery, the absence of melatonin variation in some cases could be the consequence of pineal damage by surgery. The contribution of determination of melatonin profiles to the diagnosis of TPR remains limited but of interest. The evidence for melatonin deficiency could justify melatonin administration to prevent the postpinealectomy syndrome.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the neurosurgeons R. Deruty, G. Fisher, C. Lapras (deceased in 2007), I. Pellissou, J. Reymond, and B. Vallée and the neuropathologists N. Kopp, G. Saint-Pierre, and N. Streichenberger for their contribution to the study. We also thank T. Barkas for linguistic help.

This work was supported by INSERM and the Association for Cancer Research (ARC 4893).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Neurochirurgie, Groupement Hospitalier Est, 69677, Bron Cedex, France

    José Leston, Carmine Mottolese & Marc Sindou

  2. INSERM, U842, Université de Lyon, Lyon1, Faculté de Médecine RTH Laennec, 69372, Lyon Cedex 08, France

    Jacques Champier, Anne Jouvet & Michelle Fèvre-Montange

  3. Centre de Pathologie Est, Groupement Hospitalier Est, 69677, Bron Cedex, France

    Anne Jouvet

  4. Service d’Hormonologie, INSERM U846, Groupement Hospitalier Est, 69677, Bron Cedex, France

    Jocelyne Brun & Bruno Claustrat

  5. Institut Fédératif des Neurosciences de Lyon, Hôpital Neuro-Cardiologique, 69394, Lyon, France

    Jacques Champier, Anne Jouvet & Michelle Fèvre-Montange

  6. Service de Neurologie, Groupement Hospitalier Est, 69677, Bron Cedex, France

    Guy Chazot

Authors
  1. José Leston
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  2. Carmine Mottolese
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  3. Jacques Champier
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  4. Anne Jouvet
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  5. Jocelyne Brun
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  6. Marc Sindou
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  7. Guy Chazot
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  8. Bruno Claustrat
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  9. Michelle Fèvre-Montange
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michelle Fèvre-Montange.

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Bruno Claustrat and Michelle Fèvre-Montange contributed equally to this work.

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Leston, J., Mottolese, C., Champier, J. et al. Contribution of the daily melatonin profile to diagnosis of tumors of the pineal region. J Neurooncol 93, 387–394 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-008-9792-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-008-9792-1

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