Pineal Gland Tumors: A Review.

Gaia Favero,Francesca Bonomini,Rita Rezzani

doi:10.3390/cancers13071547

Abstract

Simple SummaryPineal neoplasms are tumors with different and variable morphological, histological, and radiological characteristics and, consequently different diagnosis and management. Due to their rarity, pineal tumors may be misdiagnosed. Pineal tumors, are divided into germ cell tumors, pineal parenchymal tumors and tumors that derive from adjacent structures. In this review, we report the clinical relevance of the main pineal gland tumors, underlining the importance of studying the triggering causes of pineal region carcinogenesis, to realize appropriate diagnosis and, consequently, better clinical management.The pineal gland is a small, pinecone-shaped endocrine gland that participates in the biological rhythm regulation of vertebrates. The recognized major product of the pineal gland is melatonin—a multifunctional endogenous indoleamine. Accumulating evidence suggests that the pineal gland is important for preserving ideal health conditions in vertebrate. Tumors of the pineal region account for approximately 3–11% of pediatric brain neoplasms but fewer than 1% of brain neoplasms in adults. It is fundamental to expand advanced imaging techniques together with both clinical and laboratory knowledge, to help to differentiate among pineal neoplasms and thus facilitate accurate primary diagnoses and proper therapeutic interventions. In this review, we report the gross anatomy of the pineal gland and its functional significance and discuss the clinical relevance of pineal gland tumors, underlining the importance of identifying the leading causes of pineal region masses.

Highlights

The pineal gland is a pinecone-shaped neuroendocrine gland located in the epithalamus that participates in the biological rhythm regulation of vertebrates
We report the features and clinical relevance of the main pineal gland tumors, underlining the importance of studying the triggering causes of pineal region masses, to enable effective primary diagnosis and, correct treatment and clinical management
Germ cell tumor can be classified into six types: germinomas, choriocarcinomas, teratomas, embryonal carcinomas, yolk sac tumors and mixed germ cell tumors [3,13,33]

Summary

Introduction

The pineal gland is a pinecone-shaped neuroendocrine gland located in the epithalamus that participates in the biological rhythm regulation of vertebrates. The pineal gland possesses two populations of cells: about 95% are pinealocytes with dendritic processes, and the other 5% are neuroglial supporting cells that resemble astrocytes Both these types of cells can form neoplasms, as well as residual germ cells from primordial neural crest cell migration and cells derived from nearby structures [1,2,12,13,14,15,16]. It is fundamental to expand advanced imaging techniques, together with both clinical and laboratory knowledge to help to differentiate among the pineal neoplasms and realize accurate primary diagnoses and correct treatment and patient management plans. We report the features and clinical relevance of the main pineal gland tumors, underlining the importance of studying the triggering causes of pineal region masses, to enable effective primary diagnosis and, correct treatment and clinical management

Germ Cell Tumors

Germinomas

Findings

Pineal Parenchymal Tumors of Intermediate Differentiation