Cushing Disease Secondary to Rathke’s Cleft Cyst

    October 2025 in “ Journal of the Endocrine Society ”
    S Shrestha, Katrina Ann H Corpuz, Jeyavishnupriya Gopalakrishnan, Heng Yeh, Ismat Shafiq, Joseph Hughes
    TLDR Rathke’s cleft cysts can rarely cause Cushing disease, and surgery can improve symptoms.
    This document presents a rare case of Cushing disease secondary to a Rathke’s cleft cyst (RCC) in a 35-year-old female. Initially, the patient had a pituitary lesion detected via MRI, suspected to be a pituitary hemorrhage, with normal initial blood tests. Over time, she developed symptoms like weight gain, hair loss, and elevated cortisol levels. Further hormonal evaluations confirmed Cushing disease, leading to the surgical removal of the RCC. Post-surgery, the patient's symptoms improved. This case highlights the importance of considering hormonal hypersecretion evaluation in atypical pituitary lesions, as RCCs can rarely cause Cushing disease without an associated pituitary adenoma.
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