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Craniopharyngioma

INTRODUCTION

Craniopharyngiomas are rare, usually suprasellar, solid or mixed solid-cystic benign tumors that arise from remnants of Rathke's pouch along a line from the nasopharynx to the diencephalon [1]. They are also known as Rathke pouch tumors or hypophyseal duct tumors.

Craniopharyngiomas account for 1 to 3 percent of intracranial tumors, with an incidence of approximately 0.5 to 2 cases per million population per year [2-4]. They are the third most common intracranial tumor in children, after gliomas and medulloblastomas, and account for up to 10 percent of intracranial tumors.

There is a bimodal distribution in peak incidence rates:

  • One peak is among infants and children
  • A second peak occurs between the ages of 55 and 65 years

PATHOLOGY

Craniopharyngiomas are dysontogenetic tumors. They presumably arise from embryonic remnants of Rathke's pouch and grow slowly from birth. However, one case report documented the de novo development of a macroscopic craniopharyngioma two years after a normal magnetic resonance imaging study in a 55-year-old woman [5].
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