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Treatment Options for Pituitary Carcinomas
Source: Pituitary Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: December 17, 2024 · Captured 2026-09-09.
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Context: Treatment of Pituitary Carcinomas
Treatment options for pituitary carcinomas include:
Surgery.
Dopamine agonists, such as bromocriptine, pergolide, quinagolide, and cabergoline, for prolactin (PRL)-producing carcinomas.
Somatostatin analogues, such as octreotide, for growth hormone (GH)–producing and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-producing carcinomas.
Adjuvant radiation therapy, which does not appear to change outcome.
Chemotherapy, which is of little benefit.
Some reports indicate that as many as 88% of pituitary carcinomas are endocrinologically active, and adrenocorticotrophin hormone-secreting tumors are the most common.[1] Treatments for patients with pituitary carcinomas are palliative, with the mean survival time ranging from 2 to 2.4 years, though several case reports of long-term survivors have been published.[2-5]
Treatment options for patients with pituitary carcinomas include resection and dopamine agonists for PRL-producing tumors; somatostatin analogues for GH-producing and TSH-producing tumors; radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.[1]
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