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Pituitary gland tumor is one of the most diverse brain tumors. Its essence is the abnormal growth of pituitary cells - the superior gland in the endocrine system, which is responsible for the secretion of numerous hormones. What are the causes and symptoms of a pituitary tumor? In what cases can pharmacological treatment be used, and when is an operation necessary?

Tumors of the pituitary glandare located inside the skull in the area of ​​the bone cavity called the Turkish saddle. They most often appear as an adenoma - a benign tumor with a very slow growth rate, rarely a malignant tumor, i.e. a cancer that can metastasize distant. There may also be tumors in the area of ​​the Turkish saddle that originate from other cell groups, such as: lymphoma, germ cell, craniopharyngioma, glioma, or a metastatic tumor.

Pituitary gland tumors represent approximately 10% of all primary intracranial tumors.

Tumors of the pituitary gland: types

Due to the hormonal activity, there are active adenomas (secreting one or, less frequently, several hormones) and non-functional adenomas:

  • About 80% of pituitary tumors show hormonal activity. These are: prolactin, somatotropin, corticotropin and thyrotropin tumors
  • The remaining 20% ​​are hormonally inactive tumors that do not secrete or produce substances that do not cause symptoms. This group includes the gonadrotropin tumor

Pituitary tumors are divided into:

  • microadenomas with a diameter of<1cm
  • macroadenomas ≥ 1cm

Pituitary gland tumor: causes

The causes of pituitary tumors are unknown, but experts say some of them are genetic changes.

Pituitary gland tumor: symptoms

The symptoms of a pituitary tumor are related to its hormonal activity, local pressure on the growing tumor, and its size. Local symptoms are:

  • mostly headaches and dizziness
  • eye problems, e.g. blurred or double vision, resulting from the tumor pressing on the optic nerves
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • low blood pressure

Symptoms related to activityhormonal:

  • somatotropin tumor - causes excessive secretion of growth hormone; in adults it is manifested by acromegaly (enlarged hands and feet, jaw enlargement, thickening of the voice, hypertension, increased blood sugar levels), in children and adolescents gigantism (excessive growth) is diagnosed
  • prolactin tumor - causes menstrual disorders, infertility, enlargement of the mammary glands in men, hirsutism in women
  • thyrotropin tumor - contributes to the symptoms of hyperthyroidism
  • corticotropin tumor - contributes to the symptoms of Cushing's disease (obesity, face rounding, red stretch marks on the skin, hirsutism, acne, hypertension, menstrual disorders)

An asymptomatic tumor is defined as an incidentaloma.

Pituitary gland tumor: diagnosis

Due to the fact that pituitary tumors are the cause of a large group of diseases, they require consultations, inter alia, gynecologist, endocrinologist, radiologist, ophthalmologist and neurosurgeon. For this reason, when a pituitary tumor is suspected, a number of tests are performed:

  • hormonal tests - depending on the prevailing symptoms, the concentration of selected pituitary hormones (GH, PRL, TSH, ACTH, LH and FSH) is determined
  • ophthalmological examination with visual field assessment and fundus examination
  • X-ray of the skull to assess the area of ​​the Turkish saddle - the structure on which the pituitary gland lies
  • computed tomography of the head

However, neuroimaging - MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is essential in the diagnosis of a pituitary tumor.

Pituitary gland tumor: drug treatment and surgery

Treatment of a pituitary gland tumordepends on the type, size and hormonal activity of the tumor, as well as the patient's age and other accompanying diseases. The determination of the concentration of hormones in the blood is also important in determining the appropriate course of treatment.

In the case ofpituitary tumorsthat secrete prolactin,drug treatment is possible.Dopaminergic drugs are used to normalize prolactin levels, reduce the tumor volume and inhibit further adenoma growth. Pharmacotherapy is also used to control the symptoms of the disease in patients not qualified for surgery or with relapses of the disease after surgery.

In other cases,surgery-pituitary tumoris surgically removed through the transcranial access or, more often, through the sinusRadiotherapy is considered an adjuvant treatment for pituitary tumors that are inoperable or incompletely removed during previous operations, as well as recurrent ones.

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Category:

Oncology