In many cases, a diagnosis of pituitary tumor can cause a great deal of panic among patients and their families because they do not have a lot of medical knowledge and believe that the right approach is to remove the tumor when it is present.
The consequences of unregulated treatment are more “frightening” than the tumor itself. According to the literature, the incidence of pituitary tumors is very high, accounting for about 10% of the normal population. In fact, this percentage may be higher. Non-selective autopsy findings have shown that the incidence of pituitary tumors can be as high as 25%. Pituitary tumors are more common in young adults between the ages of 20 and 40, and more common in women, probably because women are more sensitive to menstrual changes and are more likely to be seen by a doctor.
First, women with menstrual disorders, amenorrhea, lactation, infertility, etc. should first visit an obstetrics and gynecology department to check pituitary hormones; second, men with decreased sexual function should first visit a male doctor to check for pituitary tumors; third, adults with significant thickening of limbs, thick lips, enlarged nose, unexplained weight gain, unexplained vision loss, etc. may have pituitary disorders.
It is important to note that a pituitary function test result greater than normal does not necessarily mean a pituitary tumor. Eating breakfast before the test, exercising or having sex the night before can affect the test results. Therefore, it is important to fast before having a pituitary tumor test, prohibit conjugal life the night before, and rest for half an hour before the test Pituitary tumors in these cases do not require treatment Many pituitary tumors can be reviewed regularly as instructed by the doctor.” There are two measures of whether a pituitary tumor needs treatment: first, whether the pituitary gland functions normally; second, the size of non-functional pituitary adenoma, and only pituitary tumors of 0.5 cm or more are considered for surgical treatment.
Try not to operate when you can observe Seeing the tumor, too old to cut, use the gamma knife, this is a common misconception in the treatment of pituitary tumors. But blind surgery, if the tumor is not completely removed, there is not only the possibility of recurrence, but also the difficulty of surgery will increase after recurrence. There is no shortage of clinical patients who do not need surgery at all, and as a result, they blindly undergo surgical treatment such as surgery, which eventually leads to total pituitary hypofunction, which is more than worth the loss.
Pituitary tumors can be treated with medications, surgery, and radiation therapy, but there are many different types of pituitary tumors. The type of pituitary tumor and the type of treatment should be determined by multidisciplinary specialists in neurosurgery, endocrinology and imaging, depending on the individual patient’s condition. For example, if the pituitary tumor is prolactinomatous, drug therapy should be preferred. In conclusion, the general principle of pituitary tumor treatment should be to evaluate the nature of the tumor before determining the treatment method.
Does medication have to be maintained for life? Does it affect fertility?
Generally, you have to take the medication for 4-5 years and then decide according to the change of the tumor. Most patients need to take the medication for life. However, medication does not affect pregnancy, but if the course of treatment is delayed too long, surgery may be considered after evaluation by an experienced neurosurgeon who believes that surgery does not affect normal pituitary function and also has a better chance of total resection. It is important to note that pregnancy may increase the size of the pituitary tumor, so it is important to closely monitor the growth of the pituitary tumor during pregnancy.