Pituitary Tumor
The pituitary tumor is also known as a pituitary adenoma, and can be described as an abnormal growth that develops in the pituitary gland that could alter the hormones produced by the gland. The pituitary gland produces hormones. These pituitary glands are situated at the bottom on the brain. It is responsible for the production of many hormones in the body. It also helps maintain the internal environment of the body. This is why it is commonly called the master gland. According to a study, pituitary tumors’ survival rate is 82%, with about 14120 persons being affected yearly. Pituitary tumors are mostly benign and do spread to the other part of the body. Read More
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Pituitary Tumor
Table of contents
What are pituitary tumors?
The pituitary tumor is also known as a pituitary adenoma, and can be described as an abnormal growth that develops in the pituitary gland that could alter the hormones produced by the gland. The pituitary gland produces hormones. These pituitary glands are situated at the bottom on the brain. It is responsible for the production of many hormones in the body. It also helps maintain the internal environment of the body. This is why it is commonly called the master gland. According to a study, pituitary tumors’ survival rate is 82%, with about 14120 persons being affected yearly. Pituitary tumors are mostly benign and do spread to the other part of the body.
What are the types of pituitary tumors?
- Functional Pituitary Tumor
This is responsible for the synthesis of too much hormone. They could be discovered while they are still benign.
- Non-functional Pituitary Tumor
These are usually malignant. They do not produce any hormone and may not be discovered until they grow big and start compressing surrounding tissues, nerves, or parts of the brain.
Causes
The exact cause of the pituitary tumor is not known, although researchers suspect it could be a genetic mutation that could be responsible. Also, hereditary conditions such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and type 4.
What are the risk factors associated with pituitary tumors?
People with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 have the potential of developing a pituitary tumor, or people with a family medical record of having hereditary conditions such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.
Symptoms
In most cases, the patients do not show any symptoms initially and are discovered accidentally when checking for something else.
Pituitary tumors can cause different symptoms due to the hormones they produce and the hormone level in the body.
Symptoms due to hormonal deficiency include:
- Nausea
- Weakness
- Little or no menstruation
- Sexual dysfunction
- Frequent urination
- Weight loss or gain
- Sensitivity to cold
Symptoms due to excess hormoneshormones include:
Cushing syndrome results from an increase in cortisol. Symptoms may be:
- High blood and sugar level
- Muscle weakness with thinning of arms and legs
- Accumulation of fat at the upper part of the body
- Bone weakening
- Acne and stretch marks
- Irritability and depression
Acromegaly due to excessive growth hormone. Its symptoms involve:
- Enlarged hands and feet
- Joint pains
- Teeth are misaligned
- High blood sugar
- Too much sweating
- Too much body hair
The increase of prolactin by the pituitary tumor affects sexual hormones such as estrogen in women and testosterone in men. It could still result in the following:
- Loss of sex drive in men
- Erectile dysfunction in men
- Irregular menstruation in a woman
- Milky discharge in women
- Low sperm count
- Growing of breasts in men
The increase of the hormone thyroxine could lead to hyperthyroidism, hence, increasing metabolic rate, which could lead to:
- Irregular heartbeat,
- Frequent bowel movements,
- Excessive sweating,
- Anxiety
- Increase sensitivity to heat, etc.
How are pituitary tumors diagnosed?
A pituitary tumor can be diagnosed through the following:
- Physical examination-
During the physical examination, the doctor will examine the patient completely and look for any signs of abnormalities. The doctor will record the medical history and family history of the patient.
- NeurologicalNeurological examination-This test is done to check how the brain, spinal cord, and nerves are working.
- Vision examination-
This test is performed to see if the tumor affects the vision of the patient.
- Laboratory Tests
- Genetic testing may be carried out.
- Blood and urine tests to check the hormonal level.
- Imagery Tests
Scans such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans may be carried out to find the size and location of the tumor.
How are pituitary tumors treated?
Early diagnosis of a pituitary tumor provides a great possibility for a cure and effective management of its symptoms. Treatment of pituitary tumors includes:
- Surgery
Surgically removing the tumor through the nasal cavity using an endoscopic approach or any method the surgeon considers best.
Endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal surgery
- Radiation
Radiation therapy is used to stop tumor growth and shrink the tumor. It could be standard external beam radiotherapy, proton beam treatment, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, or stereotactic radiosurgery.
- Medication
Medication treatment is used to block or control excessive amounts of hormonal secretions, and in a few cases, it is used to shrink certain types of pituitary tumors. A few of the medications used are- cabergoline, bromocriptine, octreotide, lanreotide, pegvisomant, etc.
What are the complications of pituitary tumors?
Whenever the pituitary tumors are left untreated for a while, they could cause serious health problems such as:
- Loss of vision
- Severe hormonal deficiency
- Sometimes pituitary apoplexy – occurs when bleeding suddenly happens in the tumor
- CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) leaks from the brain into the nose.
FAQ
The condition can cause various symptoms depending on the type of tumor it is, such as a functional tumor or a non-functional tumor. Such problems could include heart problems, joint pains, increased hair growth, abnormal loss or weight gain, increased blood sugar, etc.
The rate of survival of pituitary tumors is high compared to other tumors since it is mostly noncancerous, and the complication rate of it is less than 10%.
Surgery is not always the only solution for the removal of the pituitary hormone. Radiation methods and medications could be employed to shrink the tumor and stop its growth.
In most cases, they have been recorded many casualties and nearly all return to healthy lives.
Non-functional pituitary tumors may grow big and affect surrounding tissues and nerves, which may result in serious complications such as sudden loss of vision, loss of consciousness, and sometimes even death.
Unfortunately, in most cases, pituitary adenomas cannot be prevented. Since the exact cause is unknown, it is usually associated with certain rare genetic conditions. Patients who have a family history of pituitary adenomas should get their genetic testing done and early diagnosis and early treatment can result in a good prognosis for the patients.
The prognosis of pituitary adenomas depends upon the size and type of pituitary adenoma the patient is diagnosed with. Early diagnosis and treatment will result in a very good prognosis for the patient. While in a few cases, it will result in low hormone levels for which the patient is advised to take medications for the rest of their lives. In a few cases of adenomas, they tend to recur (come back) for which the patient needs to be treated again. About 18% of non-functioning adenomas and 25% of the people with prolactinomas will need more treatment at some point [1].
References
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15328-pituitary-adenomas.
