Table 2.
Demographic, pathological, clinical, hormonal, imaging and therapeutic characteristics of the 43 reported cases of PM from NENs
| Total number of cases | n = 43 (%) |
|---|---|
| Sex | n = 43 (%) |
| M | 19 (44) |
| F | 24 (56) |
| Median age (y) | 58 |
| Primary NEN histology | n = 43 (%) |
| SCLC | 21 (49) |
| Atypical lung carcinoid | 6 (14) |
| Pancreatic NEN | 4 (9) |
| MTC | 3 (7) |
| Thymic carcinoid | 2 (5) |
| Unknown primary NEN | 2 (5) |
| Breast NEN | 2 (5) |
| Ileal NEN | 1 (2) |
| Merkel cell carcinoma | 1 (2) |
| Lung LCNEC | 1 (2) |
| PM as first manifestations of NEN | 23 (53) |
| Clinical presentation | n = 41 (%) |
| Visual field deficit | 27 (66) |
| Headache | 20 (49) |
| Constitutional symptoms (asthenia, weight loss) | 18 (44) |
| Other ocular symptoms (diplopia, blurred vision) | 18 (44) |
| Ocular palsy | 9 (22) |
| Other neurological symptoms (gait disturbance, confusion, memory loss) | 6 (15) |
| Hormonal alterations | n = 37 (%) |
| Hypopituitarism (deficit of at least one pituitary axis) | 27 (73) |
| Hyperprolactinemia | 21 (57) |
| Gonadotropins deficit | 19 (51) |
| ACTH deficit | 15 (40) |
| TSH deficit | 15 (40) |
| DI | 13 (35) |
| Panhypopituitarism (complete anterior pituitary deficit + DI) | 6 (16) |
| Imaging characteristics | n = 36 (%) |
| Suprasellar extension | 30 (83) |
| Compression/displacement of pituitary stalk | 20 (56) |
| Bone erosion | 9 (25) |
| Invasion of cavernous sinus | 7 (19) |
| Involvement of other brain structures | 7 (19) |
| Thickening/involvement of pituitary stalk | 4 (11) |
| Therapy | n = 43 (%) |
| Surgery | 32 (74) |
| Radiotherapy | 22 (51) |
| Chemotherapy | 19 (44) |
| PRRT | 2 (5) |
| Median survival [months, (95% CI)] | 14 (9–21) |
PM pituitary metastases, NEN neuroendocrine neoplasm, SCLC small cell lung cancer, MTC medullary thyroid cancer, LCNEC large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, DI diabetes insipidus, PRRT peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, IQR interquartile range