ceritinib and Adenoma

We report an ALK-rearranged adenocarcinoma of the lung presenting as a pituitary metastasis, clinically simulating a pituitary adenoma. The patient, a 50 year-old, former-smoking woman was admitted with a Parinaud's syndrome characterized by progressive oculomotor impairment of visual verticality, bitemporal hemianopsia and nystagmus. Imaging studies showed a sellar tumor and the biopsy revealed a TTF-1 and napsin positive lung adenocarcinoma strongly expressing synaptophysin and CD56, also harboring ALK rearrangement. A subsequent CT scan disclosed the primary lung mass of the left upper lobe. The patient progressed after 4 cycles of cisplatin/pemetrexed as first line treatment, but showed a partial response and a significant clinical benefit from the combination of ceritinib and nivolumab in a phase Ib trial. Despite its central nervous system tropism, ALK-rearranged adenocarcinoma manifesting with pituitary gland involvement was never reported. Second generation ALK inhibitors seem the best therapeutic strategy.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma of Lung; Adenoma; Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase; Biomarkers, Tumor; Female; Gene Rearrangement; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Lung Neoplasms; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Metastasis; Pituitary Gland; Pituitary Neoplasms; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Pyrimidines; Sulfones