The treatment your health care provider recommends will depend on the type, size and location of your pituitary tumor. You may have surgery to remove it, or you might need medicines to reduce hormone production or control growth.
Children and teenagers who have too much growth hormone may grow faster or taller than usual, a condition called gigantism.
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Headaches are one of the most common symptoms of pituitary tumors. They occur when the tumor presses on brain or nerve structures, such as the optic nerves in the eyes. Larger tumors may also cause eye problems such as double vision and loss of peripheral (side) vision.
The pituitary gland is a hormone-producing organ located at the base of the brain, behind the bridge of the nose. It produces a variety of important hormones, including oxytocin, prolactin and growth hormone.
These cancer information summaries are from the Physician Data Query (PDQ) database of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The PDQ summaries are written for health professionals, but are often understandable to patients as well.
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A pituitary tumor that releases too much growth hormone can cause physical changes, such as excessive weight gain, thickening of the skin and bones in the hands and feet, thinning of the hair and baldness. It may also cause swelling of the face or torso, which is called acromegaly.
Pituitary adenomas don’t usually need treatment. If they grow large enough to put pressure on the brain or secrete excess hormones, however, treatment is necessary. Surgery is the most common treatment. Medicines can also be used to help shrink the tumor or treat symptoms caused by hormone imbalances. They can include oxytocin, which causes uterine contractions during pregnancy and childbirth; prolactin, which stimulates lactation; and thyroid stimulating hormone, which affects metabolism.
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Your pituitary gland helps regulate hormones that send messages throughout your body. It is small — about the size of a pea — and located behind your nose inside your skull.
Many pituitary tumors don’t cause symptoms until they grow large enough to put pressure on other parts of your brain and body. When that happens, the hormones they make can change your body’s normal function.
The symptoms vary from person to person and may look like other health problems. The type, size and growth of the tumor, whether it is making too many or too few hormones, and other factors affect how symptoms develop. Your doctor can treat most pituitary tumors to return hormone levels back to normal and reduce symptoms.
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Symptoms of pituitary tumors are caused by the pressure that the tumor puts on the brain or on other parts of the body. They can also be caused by the hormones that the tumor makes.
Functioning pituitary adenomas secrete large amounts of one particular hormone, which exposes the rest of the body to high levels of that hormone. This may cause symptoms such as eye problems (loss of side vision, called peripheral vision) and pain in the face, including sinus pain or ear pain. It can also cause sexual problems, including erectile problems in men and loss of interest in sex in women.
Pituitary tumors are usually slow growing, so they can often be observed without treatment for long periods of time. However, if the symptoms become severe enough to warrant treatment, surgery and medicines can be used.
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Depression is a common pituitary tumors symptom and may be caused by changes in hormones produced by the pituitary gland. These alterations can have effects on the body including infertility, delayed puberty in children, and stunted growth (gigantism) in adults.
Psychiatric symptoms may interfere with patients seeking health care, which can delay diagnosis and treatment. One study found that patients who had undergone either transsphenoidal or surgical removal of a pituitary tumor and were receiving medical management reported worse overall mood and lower energy levels than the control group.
People who experience a pituitary tumor often have appointments with several specialists, including a nose and sinus surgeon and a brain surgeon — also called a neurosurgeon. These doctors can confirm a diagnosis and recommend appropriate treatments.
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Most pituitary tumors are benign, and lifestyle factors don’t seem to affect a person’s risk. However, some types of pituitary tumors may press against nerves that send signals to the eyes, causing vision problems.
Your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask questions about your symptoms. They’ll also run tests, including blood and urine tests to check hormone levels.
For example, if you have a prolactin-secreting pituitary tumor, your doctor might prescribe bromocriptine to reduce the secretion of this hormone. This medication can help control symptoms of this type of pituitary tumor, such as irregular or no menstrual periods and milk discharge from the breasts in premenopausal women; infertility in premenopausal women and men; and enlarged testicles in males.
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The tumor may affect your sleep if it makes too much hormone or causes the pituitary gland to work incorrectly. These problems are sometimes caused by the pressure of a growing tumor on the brain or nerves near the pituitary gland.
Nonfunctioning tumors do not secrete extra hormones. They can cause symptoms due to their size or the pressure they put on nearby structures. These are often called macroadenomas.
Functional pituitary adenomas typically make only one type of hormone, and the symptoms they cause depend on which hormone they are making. For example, if the tumor is making too much thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), it can lead to hyperthyroidism. Tumors that make luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, or gonadotropins, can cause irregular menstrual periods or infertility in premenopausal women. They can also cause enlarged testicles in men and low libido.
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Seizures can occur in people with pituitary tumors. These may be triggered by the tumor’s pressure on other parts of the brain. They can also happen when the tumor makes too many hormones. These seizures are called focal unaware seizures. People who have these seizures may have altered feelings, minor shaking or stiffness, and fumbling and chewing movements.
Doctors at NYU Langone diagnose pituitary tumors by doing a physical exam, eye exams, and brain scans. They also look at your medical history. Your doctors will use the results of these tests to decide whether you need surgery. They may prescribe medications to treat the symptoms caused by the pituitary tumor. These include the drugs bromocriptine and cabergoline, which reduce prolactin levels.