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Primary sellar melanocytoma: pathological, clinical and treatment review

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Abstract

Background

Sellar melanocytomas represent a small subgroup of primary melanocytic tumors. They arise from melanocytes located in the meningeal lining of the sellar floor or in the diaphragma sellae and this location is very uncommon. Usually, sellar melanocytomas are benign and slow-growing tumors with a high likelihood of recurrence.

Purpose

To our knowledge, due to the rarity of this condition, there are no guidelines regarding their diagnosis and treatment in the medical literature to date. We have developed a narrative review, analyzing the available studies regarding primary sellar melanocytomas reported in the medical literature. We have found ten papers on this topic and all of them are case reports. In all patients, tumor diagnosis was performed after the occurrence of neurological symptoms, in particular progressive visual loss or endocrinological disorders. The diagnosis is difficult, and it requires several preoperative and postoperative investigations, but histological examination is crucial.

Conclusions

Transsphenoidal surgery is the first-choice treatment. In case of tumor’s recurrence or regrowth, the role of radiation therapy and chemotherapy is not entirely clear.

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Fig. 1

Reproduced with permission from Albano et al. Primary sellar melanocytomas report of two cases treated at the same institution and their long-term outcome, British Journal of Neurosurgery, 2019 [12]

Fig. 2

Reproduced with permission from Albano et al. Primary sellar melanocytomas report of two cases treated at the same institution and their long-term outcome, British Journal of Neurosurgery, 2019 [12]

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Taylor & Francis Group for approving the license to reproduce Figs. 1 and 2 previously published in “Primary sellar melanocytomas: report of two cases treated at the same institution and their long-term outcome”; Albano et al. British Journal of Neurosurgery, copyright © 2019 The Neurosurgical Foundation, reprinted by permission of Informa UK Limited.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, I.R.C.C.S. San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute University, Via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy

    L. Albano, M. Losa, L. R. Barzaghi, P. Panni & P. Mortini

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France

    G. Spatola

  3. Department of Pathology, I.R.C.C.S. San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute University, Milan, Italy

    M. R. Terreni

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  1. L. Albano
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Work and concept were initiated by LA; literature research and data analysis were performed by LA, GS, PP. The manuscript was written by LA, ML, LRB, GS, PP and MRT. ML and PM critically reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to L. Albano.

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Albano, L., Losa, M., Barzaghi, L.R. et al. Primary sellar melanocytoma: pathological, clinical and treatment review. J Endocrinol Invest 43, 575–585 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-019-01158-8

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