What is Difference Between Craniopharyngioma and Pituitary Adenoma

The key difference between craniopharyngioma and pituitary adenoma is that craniopharyngioma is a rare benign cancer that develops near the pituitary gland, affecting the function of the cranial nerves, while pituitary adenoma is a rare benign cancer that develops in the pituitary glands mainly affecting the function of the pituitary glands.

Craniopharyngioma and pituitary adenoma are two different types of rare and benign cancers. Both these cancers can affect the function of the endocrine system. Moreover, both these cancers can be managed by removing cancer cells from affected parts surgically.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Craniopharyngioma 
3. What is Pituitary Adenoma
4. Similarities – Craniopharyngioma and Pituitary Adenoma
5. Craniopharyngioma vs Pituitary Adenoma in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Craniopharyngioma vs Pituitary Adenoma

What is Craniopharyngioma?

Craniopharyngioma is a rare benign cancer that usually develops near pituitary glands. It is a slow-growing condition and can affect the cranial nerves, which are responsible for vision and the endocrine system. Thus, craniopharyngioma can affect the hormonal function of the human body. Craniopharyngioma is diagnosed in 2 people per 1 million in each year.

Moreover, there are two types of craniopharyngioma; they are adamantinomatous and papillary craniopharyngioma. Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma is observed in children aged 5 to 14. On the other hand, papillary craniopharyngioma is observed in adults aged 50 to 74. The symptoms of this condition may include headache, peripheral vision loss, eye movement weakness, vomiting, personality changes, hormonal insufficiency (excessive thirst, stunted growth, fatigue, hyperphagia, weight gain, and increased sleepiness), and adrenal insufficiency (fatigue and low blood pressure). There are no proven causes or risk factors found for craniopharyngioma.

Craniopharyngioma can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, hormonal tests, and imaging tests like MRI and CT scans. Furthermore, treatment options for craniopharyngioma are surgery (open craniotomy and endonasal (transsphenoidal), radiotherapy, and miscellaneous methods like use of chemotherapy like paclitaxel, carboplatin, administration of BRAF inhibitor, surgical placement of intracavitary phosphorous 32, yttrium, bleomycin, rhenium and the applications of interstitial brachytherapy.

What is Pituitary Adenoma?

A pituitary adenoma is a rare benign cancer that starts in the pituitary glands. This cancer does not spread to other parts of the body like other cancers. However, as pituitary adenomas grow, they can put pressure on the nearby structures, which results in various symptoms. A pituitary adenoma is caused due to DNA changes in the pituitary glands. The risk factors for this condition include certain genetic disorders like multiple endocrine neoplasias, Carney complex, and McCune-Albright syndrome.

Furthermore, there are two main types of pituitary adenoma; endocrine active pituitary tumor and endocrine inactive pituitary tumor. The symptoms of pituitary adenoma may include headaches, vision problems, weight gain, easy bleeding, change in bone structure, menstrual irregularities, lactation, erectile dysfunction, heat intolerance, and hormonal problems.

Moreover, pituitary adenoma is diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, blood test, urine test, and hormonal tests (plasma prolactin, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor, free thyroxine, cortisol, and testosterone). Furthermore, treatment options for pituitary adenoma may include observation, medication (drug therapy), radiotherapy (external beam radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery), and surgery (craniotomy and endonasal endoscopic surgery).

What are the Similarities Between Craniopharyngioma and Pituitary Adenoma?

• Craniopharyngioma and pituitary adenoma are two different types of rare and benign cancers.
• Both these cancers can affect the function of the endocrine system and hormonal imbalances.
• Both these cancers can be diagnosed through physical examinations, blood tests, hormonal tests, and imaging tests.
• They can be treated through chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery.

What is the Difference Between Craniopharyngioma and Pituitary Adenoma?

Craniopharyngioma is a rare benign cancer that develops near the pituitary gland that mainly affects the function of the cranial nerves, while pituitary adenoma is a rare benign cancer that develops in the pituitary glands and mainly affects the function of the pituitary glands. Thus, this is the key difference between craniopharyngioma and pituitary adenoma. Furthermore, craniopharyngioma is diagnosed in 2 people per 1 million each year, while pituitary adenoma is diagnosed in 77 people per 1 million each year.

The below infographic presents the differences between craniopharyngioma and pituitary adenoma in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Craniopharyngioma vs Pituitary Adenoma

Craniopharyngioma and pituitary adenoma are two different types of rare and benign cancers. Both these cancers can affect the function of the endocrine system and hormonal imbalances in the body. Craniopharyngioma develops near the pituitary gland, mainly affecting the function of the cranial nerves. A pituitary adenoma is a rare benign cancer that develops in the pituitary glands, mainly affecting its function. So, this summarizes the difference between craniopharyngioma and pituitary adenoma.

Reference:

1. “Craniopharyngioma: Definition, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Pituitary Adenomas: Definition, Symptoms & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Craniopharyngioma-t1corkm-001” By Hellerhoff – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Pituitary Tumor Removal” By BruceBlaus – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia