• Matthew C Findlay, Richard Drexler, Mohammed Azab, Arian Karbe, Roman Rotermund, Franz L Ricklefs, Jörg Flitsch, Timothy R Smith, John L Kilgallon, Jürgen Honegger, Isabella Nasi-Kordhishti, Paul A Gardner, Zachary C Gersey, Hussein M Abdallah, John A Jane, Alexandria C Marino, Ulrich J Knappe, Nesrin Uksul, Jamil A Rzaev, Anatoliy V Bervitskiy, SchroederHenry W SHWSDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany., Márton Eördögh, Marco Losa, Pietro Mortini, Rüdiger Gerlach, Apio C M Antunes, William T Couldwell, Karol P Budohoski, Robert C Rennert, and Michael Karsy.
• School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurosciences Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2023 Dec 1; 180: e376e391e376-e391.

BackgroundCrooke cell adenomas (CCAs) are a rare, aggressive subset of secretory pituitary corticotroph adenomas (sCTAs) found in 5%-10% of patients with Cushing disease. Multiple studies support worse outcomes in CCAs but are limited by small sample size and single-institution databases. We compared outcomes in CCA and sCTA using a multicenter, international retrospective database of high-volume skull base centers.MethodsPatients surgically treated for pituitary adenoma from January 2017 through December 2020 were included.ResultsAmong 2826 patients from 12 international centers, 20 patients with CCA and 480 patients with sCTA were identified. No difference in baseline demographics, tumor characteristics, or postoperative complications was seen. Microsurgical approaches (60% CCA vs. 62.3% sCTA) were most common. Gross total resection was higher in CCA patients (100% vs. 83%, P = 0.05). Among patients with gross total resection according to intraoperative findings, fewer CCA patients had postoperative hormone normalization of pituitary function (50% vs. 77.8%, P < 0.01) and remission of hypersecretion by 3-6 months (75% vs. 84.3%, P < 0.01). This was the case despite CCA having better local control rates (100% vs. 96%, P < 0.01) and fewer patients with remnant on magnetic resonance imaging (0% vs. 7.2%, P < 0.01). A systematic literature review of 35 studies reporting on various treatment strategies reiterated the high rate of residual tumor, persistent hypercortisolism, and tumor-related mortality in CCA patients.ConclusionsThis modern, multicenter series of patients with CCA reflects their poor prognosis and reduced postsurgical hormonal normalization. Further work is necessary to better understand the pathophysiology of CCA to devise more targeted treatment approaches.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

20 keywords...

hide…