“The human body is the best picture of the human soul.” – Tony Robbins

 

 

 

PNA Spotlight: Phillip Cem Cezayirli, MD

This month the PNA Spotlight focuses on neurosurgeon Dr. Philip Cem Cezayirli, part of the Haynes Neurosurgical Group in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Cezayirli is affiliated with four local medical centers: Princeton Baptist, Shelby Baptist, Grandview, and Brookwood Baptist Medical Centers.

Dr. Philip Cezayirli

He is a board-certified neurosurgeon with a focus on neurosurgical oncology and spine surgery and is licensed to practice neurosurgery in Alabama.

He earned his MD at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama. He spent a year studying with Dr. Uğur Türe at Yeditepe University and Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. He did his neurosurgery residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Montefiore, Bronx New York. And he completed a neurosurgical oncology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.

Dr. Cezayiri was kind enough to speak with the PNA about a range of issues. Here is the conversation, edited for clarity.

Read More Here

 

Expertise needed for tumors that invade the pituitary’s protective layer

The pituitary gland is surrounded by the cavernous sinus and internal carotid artery. A thin layer of connective tissue separates the sinus and artery from the pituitary gland. Pituitary tumors sometimes invade this protective layer, called the medial wall of the cavernous sinus (MWCS).

That infiltration puts pituitary tumors in close proximity to the internal carotid artery and to cranial nerves, significantly complicating treatment approaches — especially when a tumor needs to be entirely removed to achieve cure.

“Standard procedure would be to resect the pituitary tumor up to the medial wall, to avoid damaging the artery. But if there’s tumor in the wall, the patient won’t be cured,” says Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon Dr. Kaisorn L. Chaichana.

MWCS infiltration is more common with functioning adenomas, such as prolactinomas and tumors that cause acromegaly or Cushing’s disease. Incomplete removal of these tumors can lower the chances of hormone control and increase the risk of tumor regrowth.

Fortunately, neurosurgeons are learning how to meet these challenges. Surgically removing part of the MCWS, to completely resect pituitary tumors, can improve outcomes.

“It’s a formidable challenge,” Dr. Chaichana says. “It takes people well-versed in the surgery, and who have experience, to know where they can open that medial wall. If you’re too far to the side — even by less than a millimeter — you would cut the carotid artery, which would be catastrophic.”

Mayo Clinic neurosurgeons use Doppler ultrasound to guide entry into the cavernous sinus, allowing selective resection of the MWCS. “We listen to the sound of the carotid artery, find a space within the medial wall where the artery isn’t present, and make a small slit in that opening,” Dr. Chaichana says. “Then we remove the wall from the carotid artery.”

It’s also important to limit packing of the cavernous sinus after surgery. “Overpacking that site can cause pressure and injury to the cranial nerves, which could lead to facial numbness and eye motion problems,” Dr. Chaichana says.

A multidisciplinary team that includes ENT/head and neck surgeons, as well as neurosurgeons, provides additional anatomical expertise.

“Very few centers do this procedure. But we’ve seen higher rates of remission for functional tumors when we take out that wall,” Dr. Chaichana says. “For a lot of functional tumors, selective resection of the MWCS can mean the difference between tumor remaining and tumor being gone — and therefore, cure or not cure.”

Featured News and Updates

News Articles April 2025

Pituitary journey: woman learns to slow down while facing melanoma, pituitary inflammation

Blogger Amanda Goodwin is a hard-charging businesswoman, who was forced to slow down and “embrace the sick” as she battled melanoma in her lungs, liver and brain, and suffered from inflammation of the pituitary. Read more here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-156259244?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

 

Study: Cushing’s patients develop cataracts at younger ages

An article in Cushing’s Disease News examines a study published in Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, that finds that Cushing’s patients are at higher risk of developing cataracts at a younger age compared to non-Cushing’s patients.  They developed them at an average age of 48.1. Patients with Cushing’s Syndrome “being 34% more likely to develop cataracts than the general population. For those with Cushing’s disease, the risk was 39% higher.” Read more: https://cushingsdiseasenews.com/news/cushings-patients-higher-risk-developing-cataracts-younger-age/

 

Pituitary Journey: British celebrity astrologer recounts battle with pituitary tumor

Russell Grant, a celebrity astrologer in the U.K. who competed on the show “Strictly Come Dancing” recounts his battle with a pituitary tumor, diabetes, and now vision issues. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/44zujvkm

Houston Hospital gets $2 million in donations for pituitary research

Houston Methodist hospital announced it has commitments to receive 2 million dollars to support its Kenneth R. Peak Brain & Pituitary Treatment Center. $1.5 million comes from the Henry J.N. Taub Foundation and is paired with an anonymous $500,000 donation. Read more: https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/houston-methodist-receives-1.5-million-for-brain-pituitary-research

Research Articles

April 2025 Research Articles

Pituitary Surgery

Indocyanine green fluorescence in endoscopic transsphenoidal resection of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors: a systematic review.

Olesrud I, Halvorsen IJ, Storaker MA, Heck A, Dahlberg D, Wiedmann MKH.Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2025 Mar 28;167(1):92. doi: 10.1007/s00701-025-06500-z.


Extended endoscopic endonasal approach for solid or predominantly solid third ventricle craniopharyngiomas complicated with obstructive hydrocephalus: a single-center experience of 27 patients.

Qiao N, Li C, Liu X, Song Y, Liang L, Zou Y, Lu P, Zhang Y, Gui S.Neurosurg Rev. 2025 Mar 26;48(1):325. doi: 10.1007/s10143-025-03486-1.

 

Transsphenoidal Surgery for Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumours (PiTNETs) in a Tertiary Hospital: Are There Differences Between Young and Elderly Patients?

Borrego-Soriano I, Parra-Ramírez P, Martín-Rojas-Marcos P, Pérez-López C, García-Feijoo P, Álvarez-Escolá C.Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2025 Mar 24. doi: 10.1111/cen.15242. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40129236

 

Pituitary Tumors


Fungal Sinusitis Spreading to the Sellar Region Mimicking a Pituitary Tumor: Case Report and Literature Review.

Pekic Djurdjevic S, Arsic Arsenijevic V.J Fungi (Basel). 2025 Mar 19;11(3):233. doi: 10.3390/jof11030233.

 

Functional Transformation of a Corticotroph Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor 128 Months Following Primary Excision ? A Case Report.

Goyal-Honavar A, Abraham AP, Asha HS, Chacko G, Chacko AG.Turk Neurosurg. 2025;35(2):355-359. doi: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.44912-23.2

 

Genetic Characterization of Turkish Patients with Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Alavanda C, Sonmez O, Geckinli BB, Bayrakli F, Guney AI.Turk Neurosurg. 2025;35(2):319-320. doi: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.45761-23.2.

 

 

Empty Sella

 

Relationship Between Radiological Features of Primary Empty or Primary Partial Empty Sella and Pituitary Hormone Levels.

Kałuża B, Furmanek M, Domański J, Żuk-Łapan A, Babula E, Poprawa I, Walecki J, Franek E.Biomedicines. 2025 Mar 15;13(3):722. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines13030722.

 

Acromegaly

 

Copeptin and Mid-Regional Proadrenomedullin Are Not Useful Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Disease in Patients with Acromegaly-A Preliminary Study.

Strzelec M, Kubicka E, Kuliczkowska-Płaksej J, Kolačkov K, Janek Ł, Bolanowski M, Jawiarczyk-Przybyłowska A.Biomedicines. 2025 Mar 8;13(3):666. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines13030666.

 

Hypopituitarism


Identification of POU1F1 Variants in Vietnamese Patients with Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency.

Nguyen HT, Nguyen KN, Dien TM, Can TBN, Nguyen TTN, Lien NTK, Tung NV, Xuan NT, Tao NT, Nguyen NL, Tran VK, Mai TTC, Tran VA, Nguyen HH, Vu CD.Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Mar 7;26(6):2406. doi: 10.3390/ijms26062406.


Hypopituitarism: genetic, developmental, and acquired etiologies with a focus on the emerging concept of autoimmune hypophysitis.

Bando H, Urai S, Kanie K, Yamamoto M.Endocr J. 2025 Mar 27. doi: 10.1507/endocrj.EJ25-0035. Online ahead of print.

 

Hormonal Health

A Novel Missense Variant in LHX4 in Three Children with Multiple Pituitary Hormone Deficiency Belonging to Two Unrelated Families and Contribution of Additional GLI2 and IGFR1 Variant.

Santoro C, Aiello F, Farina A, Miraglia Del Giudice E, Pascarella F, Licenziati MR, Improda N, Piluso G, Torella A, Del Vecchio Blanco F, Cirillo M, Nigro V, Grandone A.Children (Basel). 2025 Mar 14;12(3):364. doi: 10.3390/children12030364.

 

Hyperprolactinemia is associated with height attainment within or above target height in adult patients with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome.

Wang Y, Mao J, Wang X, Nie M, Zhang J, Zhang W, Liu H, Xu Z, Wu X.Endocr Pract. 2025 Mar 25:S1530-891X(25)00095-3. doi: 10.1016/j.eprac.2025.03.010. Online ahead of print.

 

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 (MEN1) Syndrome Clinical Presentation and the Role of Newer Functional Imaging in the Diagnosis and Management: A Case Report.

Singh R, Goel SA, Singh JS, John DR, Suthar PP.Cureus. 2025 Feb 24;17(2):e79580. doi: 10.7759/cureus.79580. eCollection 2025 Feb.

 

 

 

Count on your Xeris CareConnection™ Team for unparalleled Cushing’s Support

Cushing’s can be challenging, but there is support so patients can feel like themselves again. The main goal of treating Cushing’s is to get cortisol levels back to normal. This Pituitary Awareness Month, Xeris Pharmaceuticals® is highlighting the importance of one-on-one support for patients living with Cushing’s Syndrome and support for HCPs treating Cushing’s Syndrome.

Sign up to get dedicated support:

Patients: Sign up for support | Recorlev® (levoketoconazole)

HCP’s: Connect with Xeris support | RECORLEV® (levoketoconazole)

Have more questions? Call for more support at 1-844-444-RCLV (7258)

Copyright © 2024 Pituitary Network Association All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: PNA does not engage in the practice of medicine. It is not a medical authority, nor does it claim to have medical expertise. In all cases, PNA recommends that you consult your own physician regarding any course of treatment or medication.

Our mailing address is:
Pituitary Network Association
P.O. Box 1958
Thousand Oaks, CA 91358
(805) 499-9973 Phone - (805) 480-0633 Fax
Email [email protected]

You are receiving this Newsletter because you have shown interest in receiving information about our activities.

If you do not want to receive any more emails from PNA, Unsubscribe.