What is a pituitary tumor and is it benign or malignant? What are the symptoms associated with pituitary tumors? How should pituitary tumors be treated?
Pituitary tumor is a benign tumor, accounting for about 19% of intracranial tumors, and is the second most common intracranial tumor. It has a wide age distribution and is more common between the ages of 20 and 50. Microadenoma <1 cm, macroadenoma >1 cm.
Pituitary gland is the endocrine organ of human body, which secretes many kinds of hormones and participates in normal life activities.
1.Growth hormone adenoma: Excessive secretion of growth hormone is manifested as acromegaly in adults, which is characterized by facial changes, forehead bulge, thickening of the lips, widening of the nose, enlargement of the mandible, snoring, and enlargement of the bones of hands and feet. In minors, it manifests as gigantism, where the child is significantly taller than his peers during growth and development, such as a 15-year-old child with a height of 2 meters.
2. Prolactin adenoma: Excessive secretion of prolactin, with the typical clinical manifestation of the triad of amenorrhea – lactation – infertility. In young women, irregular menstruation or even absence of menstruation and inability to conceive can occur, and in middle-aged and older women, it can manifest as lactation. In male patients, excessive prolactin can lead to sexual dysfunction such as impotence.
3. ACTH adenoma: Excessive secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone can lead to fat metabolism disorder, excessive fat accumulation on the head and face, round face, and thickened fat layer on the back, i.e. “buffalo back, full moon face”. For female patients, facial acne, long beard, enlarged throat nodes, and thickened voice.
4. Compression effect: Above the pituitary gland is the optic nerve. Tumor compression on the optic nerve can lead to bilateral temporal hemianopia and loss of vision, which simply means that the afterglow of both eyes disappears. It may also lead to headache and other symptoms.
How to diagnose?
In case of enlargement of hands and feet, facial changes, menopause, lactation, infertility at fertile age, prompt hospital consultation and cranial enhancement MRI can clarify the diagnosis.
How is it treated?
At present, the main treatment for pituitary tumor is surgical resection. With the development of medicine and equipment, the previous craniotomy is gradually eliminated, and now the tumor is removed by minimally invasive neuroendoscopic surgery through the nostril. .