Treatment Option Overview for Pituitary Tumors

The goals of treatment of pituitary adenomas include normalization of hormonal secretion (i.e., normalization of hypersecretion and improvement in hypofunction) and resolution or cessation of the progression of neurological defects.

Treatment options for patients with pituitary tumors include:

The choice of treatment must be individualized and is dictated by the type of tumor, the nature of the excessive hormonal expression, and whether the tumor extends into the brain around the pituitary.[2,3]

The transsphenoidal microsurgical approach to a pituitary lesion is the most widely used approach and represents a major development in the safe surgical treatment of both hormonally active and nonfunctioning tumors.[4-6] This approach is often successful in debulking tumors, even those that have a significant suprasellar extension.

This surgery is contraindicated in patients with tumors with a significant suprasellar extension and an hourglass-shaped narrowing between the intrasellar and suprasellar component because blind attempts to reach the suprasellar tumor may lead to cerebral damage. In addition, an infection in the sphenoid sinus is a potential contraindication to the transsphenoidal approach. In such cases, craniotomies via a pterional or subfrontal approach may be performed. Rapid deterioration of vision is an immediate indication for surgery to relieve pressure produced by an expanding tumor mass, except in the case of macroprolactinomas (where intensive observation with a patient on dopaminergic agonists may be an acceptable alternative). Progressive deterioration of visual fields is often the primary neurological criterion on which surgical management decisions are based.[7]

Conventional radiation therapy is an effective adjunct to the treatment of pituitary tumors.[4] The advantages of radiation therapy are that it is noninvasive and suitable for surgically high-risk patients. The clinical and biochemical response, however, is slow and may require from 2 to 10 years for complete and sustained remission. In addition, radiation therapy carries a substantial risk of hypopituitarism (i.e., approximately 30% at 10 years).

Hormone-secreting tumors may be treated with surgery or radiation therapy. Surgical therapy is the treatment of choice for growth hormone (GH)-producing, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-producing, and endocrine-inactive adenomas. GH-secreting tumors can be treated with somatostatin analogues, dopamine analogues, and GH-receptor antagonists, such as pegvisomant.[7] Ketoconazole, an inhibitor of steroidogenesis, is considered the first drug of choice as adjuvant therapy for ACTH-producing tumors.[4] Somatostatin analogues are the treatment of choice for thyroid-stimulating hormone-producing adenomas, but their efficacy may wane with time.[7]

The natural history of GH-secreting and ACTH-secreting pituitary tumors is usually one of slowly progressive enlargement.[4] Microprolactinomas, however, often remain unchanged, or decrease in size over time, and they have occasionally been observed to undergo complete, spontaneous resolution.[7]