Pineal Region Tumors

The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland located in the brains of vertebrates near the brain center that helps regulate circadian rhythms. Pineal tumors are tumors located in this region including tumors of the pineal gland and tumors of the components and structures of this region. Pineal tumors can compress the third ventricle, squeeze the cerebral drain causing hydrocephalus, compress the brain stem, compress the cerebellum, compress the posterior fossa … causing various disorders. The pineal gland has a rather complicated anatomy, deep in the brain parenchyma, surrounded by many blood vessels and other important structures, so surgery to approach this area is still a challenge for many surgeons. Because these cancers are so rare, it has always been difficult to collect a large number of cases to study and compare. This chapter will describe the features of pineal tumor from the information collected so far.