Our Services / Pituitary Tumors

What are pituitary tumors?

Pituitary tumors affect the vital pituitary gland behind your nose. The gland attaches directly to your brain, making hormones essential for many bodily functions. Tumors growing on the pituitary gland aren’t usually cancerous. But a benign (noncancerous) tumor can also cause problems if not treated.

A pituitary tumor can press against the optic nerve, causing vision problems. These tumors can cause other symptoms if they trigger a hormone imbalance. Common symptoms of pituitary tumors include:

• Headaches
• Upset stomach
• Vomiting
• Breast growth
• Feeling cold
• Weight changes
• Low sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction
• Fewer menstrual periods
• Growth delays in children

Pituitary tumors — especially smaller ones — often cause no symptoms.

What causes pituitary tumors?

Some pituitary tumors are caused by genetic conditions that make certain people more likely to develop these tumors than others. Genetic conditions that increase your risk of pituitary tumors include:

• Carney complex
• Familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA)
• McCune-Albright syndrome
• Isolated familial acromegaly

Doctors sometimes face challenges in diagnosing pituitary tumors because of the lack of symptoms. The tumors often come to light during routine brain scans.

Pituitary carcinomas (cancerous tumors) are extremely rare. Doctors usually find these tumors after cancer spreads to the brain, spinal cord, or brain covering. Pituitary cancer can spread to the heart, liver, or lungs, but it rarely does.

How are pituitary tumors treated?

In some cases, medication reduces excessive growth hormone production in the tumor. Pituitary tumors might require external radiation (external beam therapy) or radiosurgery (gamma knife treatment). These techniques use targeted doses of radiation to destroy the tumor.

Treatment can also include surgery, especially for smaller tumors. The main surgeries for pituitary tumors are:

Endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal approach

This technique enables your Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic surgeon to access the tumor through your nose. Advantages of this approach include no external incisions, no damage to other parts of your brain, and no visible scar. It works best for smaller pituitary tumors.

Transcranial approach (craniotomy)

With a craniotomy, your surgeon removes the tumor through the upper skull through an incision in your scalp. This approach is easier for large or complicated tumors.

Pituitary tumor procedures take around an hour, but you’ll need to remain overnight in the hospital for observation.

Call Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic today or book an appointment online to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment for pituitary tumors.