Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the pineal parenchyma. The first reported case

Abstract

We report a case of a 35-year-old female patient who presented with worsening headaches, vertigo, and vision changes. MRI of the brain showed an enhancing lesion in the pineal region. The patient was taken for resection of the lesion which was classified as neuroendocrine carcinoma of the pineal parenchyma, intermediate grade. Histologically, the neoplasm was cellular, mitotically active, and composed of tightly packed cells with high nuclear cytoplasmic ratio, scant cytoplasm, and ill-defined cell borders. Immunohistochemically the tumor cells were positive for chromogranin, synaptophysin and AE1/AE3, and negative for CK-7, CK-20, and TTF1. Possible metastasis from any other primary sites was ruled out clinically. This represents the first reported case of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the pineal parenchyma.

Keywords: Brain tumor; Neuroendocrine tumor; Pineal gland.