Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma with metastasis to the pituitary gland: a case report

An unusual case of metastatic bronchioloalveolar carcinoma of the lung pres ented as a pituitary tumour in a young adult Chinese female, who subsequent ly died after having undergone trans-spheoidal resection. Metastatic cancer s of the pituitary are uncommon even in necropsy series and rarely give ris e to clinical symptoms. This case draws attention to the fact that, althoug h uncommon, pituitary metastases have been noted with increasing frequency and their distinction from primary pituitary tumours is often difficult. A metastatic pituitary tumour may be the initial presentation of an unknown p rimary malignancy, wherein the metastatic deposits may also be limited to t he pituitary gland. Clinicians and pathologists alike should consider a met astatic lesion in the differential diagnosis of a non-functioning pituitary tumour.