RESUMO
AIM: To clarify the concept of 'aggressive pituitary adenoma' using analysis of the current concepts, as well as to determine the optimal treatment algorithm for this disease and the place of chemotherapy in this treatment. Pituitary adenomas comprise from 10 to 15% of intracranial neoplasms. Despite the fact that pituitary adenomas are benign neoplasms, in 25-55% of cases they demonstrate invasive growth, growing into the surrounding structures (sphenoid sinus, cavernous sinus, etc.). Due to the lack of a standard definition of aggressive pituitary adenomas (due to the lack of clear criteria for this disease), there are no studies in the literature reporting optimal treatment for this group of patients, except for several publications describing the use of Temozolomide as palliative therapy.
