Osteogenic sarcoma of the skull: A rare sequela of pituitary irradiation

Abstract

A patient received multiple courses of kilovoltage radiation therapy and underwent two transfrontal craniotomies, with incomplete removal of a chromophobe adenoma of the pituitary. Twenty-one years after the initial irradiation, he developed osteogenic sarcoma of the frontal bone, a very rare complication. Only two similar cases could be found in the literature. The high total dose, repeated courses of irradiation, and surgically-induced vascular changes in the frontal bone flap may all have contributed to development of the sarcoma.