New Health Guide
Carcinoma or adenoma is the name given to the tumors that form in the pituitary gland. Pituitary adenomas account for only 10% of primary brain tumors and are usually slow-growing masses that are mostly benign in nature. The potentially dangerous malignant types of pituitary adenomas that rarely occur are called pituitary carcinomas.
The pituitary’s front two-third area is where the bulk of the pituitary adenomas usually grow. “Non-secreting” and “secreting” are the two classifications of such tumors. High production of hormones is associated with a “secreting tumor”. The type (s) of hormones produced by a pituitary gland tumoris the factor on which further classification of these tumors is made.
Patients with pituitary tumors sometimes don’t experience any symptoms at all or have them because of an illness unrelated to the tumor. Some of the signs and symptoms that a person suffering from a pituitary gland tumor might encounter are:
Pituitary tumor symptoms manifest themselves in the following three ways:
The reason for the creation of a pituitary gland tumor remains a mystery. The pituitary gland lies at the bottom of your brain. It is a bean-shaped gland which is small in size but impacts almost every part of the body. Regulation of functions like reproduction, growth and blood pressure is done by the hormones this gland produces. Although some cases of pituitary gland tumors are hereditary but most of them aren’t. Scientists believe that development of pituitary tumors is linked to genetic alternations.
The following are some of the tests that your doctor might conduct when diagnosing a pituitary gland tumor.
Visiting an endocrinologist for further testing is usually recommended by the doctor.
People who do not experience any kind of pituitary gland tumor symptoms and have normally functioning hormones can avail the active surveillance treatment. Such form of treatment can also be referred to as watchful waiting in which the patient is closely monitored and regular tests are conducted to watch for any sign of tumor growth. Treatment begins after sign appear.
If the pituitary gland is not producing enough hormones because of the pituitary tumor, then hormone replacement therapy can become inevitable. Since your body requires the hormones, they would have to be replaced from elsewhere. The hormones that would need replacing include adrenal and thyroid hormones, estrogen in women and testosterone in men and growth hormones.
There are drugs available that can help if your pituitary tumor is causing the gland to produce excess hormones. Tumors that cause overproduction of growth hormones can be treated by Somavert (pegvisomant) or Sandostatin (octreotide) while Dostinex (cabergoline) and Parlodel (bromocriptine) are excellent drugs for those tumors that secrete prolactin. Pituitary tumors secreting thyroid-stimulating hormone can be treated by Octreotide too.
Research on drugs that are suitable for treating pituitary tumors is still ongoing. Therefore, it is best to ask your doctor regarding the medications prescribed to, their function and the possible harmful effects that they might have.
Surgery is the most common treatment method suggested for a pituitary gland tumor which helps in complete removal of the tumor successfully. It involves removal of the tumor and the tissues present around it via an operation. The trans sphenoidal route is used for performing the surgery in over 95% of the cases while opening of the skull or craniotomy is required in other cases. Surgery through the trans sphenoidal route involves entry through the nasal passage and then going along the septum through the sphenoid sinus cavity, which lies in the back of the throat to reach the pituitary gland which is located behind it. Craniotomies are performed using an endoscope or a microscope or both. If performed by an experienced and skilled surgeon, both surgeries are equally effective and safe.
The use of x-rays for destroying the cells of the tumor is known as radiation therapy. Radiation oncologist is the name given to the doctor who specializes in performing radiation therapy to tumor patients. External-beam radiation therapy is the most common form of radiation treatment in which the body receives the radiation from a machine from the outside. Radiation therapy is usually given over a set of period time and consists of a number of treatments.
Upset stomach, fatigue and skin reactions are some of the side-effects of radiation therapy. The end of the treatment spells the end of most of these side-effects. Short-term memory changes and vision issues might also develop depending on the direction of the radiation therapy. However, advances in technology have reduced the risk of such problems. Since the pituitary gland might lose its ability to produce hormones because of radiation therapy, you might require HRT.
