Growth hormone secreting pituitary adenoma with admixed gangliocytoma and ganglioglioma

Abstract

Pituitary adenomas are the most common tumours found in the sellar region and, when both functioning and non-functioning adenomas are combined, account for 7–15% of primary brain tumours in adults. Rarely, admixed or discrete groups of cells comprising two or more tumour subtypes are seen; the so-called ‘collision tumour’. We present a case of a 54-year-old-woman with a growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma admixed with both ganglioglioma and gangliocytoma. The possible mechanisms by which this may occur include a pre-existing gangliocytoma promoting the development of pituitary adenoma by hypersecretion of releasing hormones or aberrant migration of hypothalamic neurons in early embryogenesis.