Pituitary adenoma, referred to as pituitary tumor, is a tumor belonging to the endocrine system and mainly originates from the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, while patients with pituitary origin are rare. It accounts for about 10% of intracranial tumors, is common in 30-40 years old, and is found in both sexes.
Pituitary tumors are usually classified into two categories: functional and non-functional. The clinical manifestations of pituitary tumors are more complex and can be divided into two categories according to the causes: 1. Occupational effects of pituitary tumors: usually seen in non-functional tumors. Among the functional tumors, prolactin adenomas are most likely to grow to cause the occupying effect.
(1) Headache: Most adenomas without secretory function can have complaints of headache, which is caused by the upward development of tumor pulling the saddle septum in the early stage, and the symptoms are reduced or disappear when the tumor penetrates the saddle septum. When the tumor penetrates the saddle septum, the symptoms will decrease or disappear. (2) Visual field changes: The typical manifestation is bilateral temporal hemianopia, which can also lead to vision loss.
(3) Pituitary dysfunction: This can lead to varying degrees of hypopituitarism. For example, hypothyroidism can lead to cold fear and coarse hair; hypogonadism can lead to menopause, lack of libido and infertility in women.
2. Endocrinological manifestations of pituitary tumors: such as prolactin adenoma, which may lead to menopause and lactation syndrome in female patients, impotence and non-reproductive function in male patients, as well as bone loss and other symptoms.
In general, surgery for some large and giant aggressive pituitary tumors is difficult to complete, recurrence rates are high, and monotherapy is often ineffective. Therefore, a combination of surgery, supplemented by drugs and radiotherapy, is required for individualized treatment.