Chromophobe adenoma of the nasopharynx is not a common condition. The first three cases of pituitary adenomas involving the nasopharynx were reported by Cushing1 in 1912 in his book entitled "The Pituitary Body and Its Disorders." Invasion of the nasal cavity is extremely rare. Bailey and Cutler2 reported the first case of chromophobe adenoma extending into the nasal cavity in 1940. Shea,3 Aquino et al.,4 and Kay et al.5 also reported similar cases during recent years.
Among the neoplasms of the pituitary gland, adenomas are the most common. They usually arise from the pars ditalis. The chromophobe adenomas occur three times as frequently as the chromophile (eosinophilic and basophilic) types.6 They usually reach the nasopharynx by direct downward extension from the pituitary fossa. It is also a possibility that they may arise from congenitally misplaced cells along the course of Rathke's pouch.
White and