Il craniofaringioma

Abstract

Craniopharyngioma (CP) is a rare epithelial low-grade tumour that develops in the sellar/suprasellar region of the brain, along the craniopharyngeal duct. It has a bimodal distribution and the first peak occurs in paediatric age almost exclusively consisting of the adamantinomatous subtype. A second peak occurs in adulthood after the fifth decade of life and is more likely to be of the papillary subtype. Therapy is based on surgical removal, so the best approach is the endonasal approach, which is sometimes associated with radiation therapy. Molecular target drugs are a promising novelty, indeed they are already in use in adults and are being tested in children. Although CP is considered a low malignancy tumour, its localization and close relationships with important structures such as the optical pathways, the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and the thalamus burden it with important complications (visual disturbances, central obesity, dysendocrinopathies) that can interfere with the patient’s quality of life.