Survival determinants of patients with uncertain behavior pituitary tumors: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database study

Introduction: The “borderline” pituitary tumor category between typical benign adenomas and pituitary carcinomas is a subject of ongoing controversy. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database classifies uncertain behavior pituitary tumors (UPTs) under the “borderline” category including atypical adenomas with presumed propensity for aggressive behavior. Very little is known about UPT patient survival prognostic factors. We aimed to characterize survival risk factors of patients with UPT according to the SEER database. Methods: SEER 17 database was queried for pituitary tumors and further separated by SEER classification of “Borderline” under the category “ICD-O-3 Hist/behav, malignant”. Patient demographics, tumor characteristic, extent of disease and treatment data were extracted and analyzed. A nomogram was built assessing survival. Results: Three hundred and thirty-two patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2019 were included. The survival rates at 1, 5 and 10 years were 86.8 %, 78.6 % and 65.1 %, respectively. Female sex and age