[Intrasellar gangliocytoma associated with growth hormone-producing pituitary adenoma. Case report]

Abstract

Introduction: Intrasellar gangliocytomas are uncommon entities which, unusually, may be found in association with hormone-releasing pituitary adenomas.

Case report: The patient was a 49-year-old female who presented a sellar lesion with associated acromegaly. A trans-sphenoidal tumour was removed, with no medical improvement. Histopathological analysis revealed a gangliocytoma with an associated somatotroph adenoma.

Discussion: We found 85 cases of intrasellar gangliocytomas with associated hormone-releasing pituitary adenomas reported in the literature, with the following distribution: 50 growth hormone-releasing (GH) cases (59%), 15 mixed (GH and prolactin-releasing) cases (17%), 11 prolactin-releasing cases (13%), 7 adrenocorticotropic hormone-releasing (ACTH) cases (8%) and 2 corticotropin hormone-releasing (CRH) cases (2%).

Conclusions: Mixed gangliocytomas-adenomas are uncommon entities. Association with growth hormone-releasing cases is more frequent and the most common presentation is among middle-aged females. Diagnosis is histopathological. Identification of this entity is important because it may lead to a limitation in therapeutic response in incomplete resections.