Early pictures of pituitary tumors Various harms of pituitary tumors to the human body

Maybe you have never heard of pituitary tumors, and don't know what kind of disease it is. But hearing the word "tumor" always makes people feel scared and worried. So what is a pituitary tumor? What does it look like in the early stage? As long as we understand some of its early symptoms and seek medical treatment as soon as possible, we can recover early. Below we introduce the early pictures of pituitary tumors.

What are the five major dangers of pituitary tumors? The pituitary gland is the most important endocrine center of the human body, responsible for the most basic secretion of various hormones needed by the human body, such as growth hormone, sex hormone, prolactin, etc. If a pituitary tumor occurs, it will inevitably directly affect hormone secretion and cause serious harm. The following is a detailed description of the five major dangers of pituitary tumors.

Several hazards of pituitary tumors to the human body

Sexual dysfunction: Sexual dysfunction refers to impotence and decreased libido. About 60% of patients with pituitary tumors have sexual dysfunction.

Endocrine dysfunction: Various endocrine cells in the pituitary gland can produce corresponding endocrine cell adenomas, causing endocrine dysfunction. Microadenomas may show signs of endocrine hyperfunction in the early stages. As the adenoma grows and develops, the pituitary tissue and its surrounding pituitary and sella turcica structures are squeezed and eroded, resulting in symptoms of decreased endocrine function.

Infertility: In clinical practice, prolactinoma accounts for more than half of pituitary tumors. Due to excessive prolactin secretion by the pituitary gland and reduced estrogen, female patients often experience a significant decrease in menstrual volume and lactation, leading to amenorrhea and infertility, while male patients show more serious consequences such as less beard, feminization, breast development, sexual dysfunction, infertility, etc.

Headache: 2/3 of patients will have this symptom in the early stage. The pain mainly occurs behind the orbit, in the forehead and near the temples on both sides. Pituitary tumors originate from the sella turcica, which is surrounded by closed bones and is only covered by the hard sella turcica septum. Direct stimulation or growth of the tumor causes increased pressure in the sella turcica, causing headaches. Patients usually experience sudden severe headaches, followed by significant relief or reduction of pain, but if not treated, pain will appear and worsen as the tumor grows.

Vision loss and blindness: Pituitary tumors of the sella turcica can break through the sella turcica floor and grow downward, to the sides and invade important intracranial blood vessels and nerves, but the most common way of growth is the development of SARA and compression of the optic chiasm and optic nerves, leading to vision loss and visual field defects.

There are many types of pituitary tumors, some of which have secretory functions and some do not. The size of the tumor varies from patient to patient, so the treatment methods are naturally different. The early symptoms of pituitary tumors vary, and the symptoms of men and women are different.

What are the early symptoms of pituitary tumors?

At present, the first thing to do is to go to a regular hospital neurosurgery department for a pituitary and brain MRI to see how big the pituitary tumor is, how it affects the surrounding area, and whether it is malignant. In addition, it is necessary to test the levels of various hormones secreted by the pituitary gland to determine whether the tumor is functional. Only then can we determine whether it can be treated, the treatment method, and the treatment effect.

Different symptoms are produced according to the type, size and growth direction of pituitary adenomas, but the main symptoms are endocrine symptoms and neurological dysfunction. Let's take a look at the early symptoms of pituitary tumors. Endocrine symptoms include hyperendocrine symptoms caused by excessive secretion of hormones by secretory adenoma cells, and hypopituitarism and corresponding target gland dysfunction caused by compression or destruction of the anterior lobe by non-secreting adenomas. A few secretory adenomas may also cause hypopituitarism in the late stage.

1. Prolactinoma: This disease is more common in female cases (males account for about 15%), and is more common in 20-30 years old. The increase in PRL inhibits the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, or inhibits the responsiveness of the gonads to pituitary gonadotropin, causing a decrease in estrogen secretion, and normal or reduced secretion of LH and FSH. The typical clinical symptoms are amenorrhea-galactorrhea-infertility triad (Forbis-Albright syndrome), but a few cases do not have all three symptoms.

2. Growth hormone adenoma: The tumor secretes too much growth hormone. Before puberty, the epiphysis has not closed yet, which manifests as gigantism, and in adulthood, it manifests as acromegaly. Increased GH can cause metabolic disorders, and progressive enlargement of soft tissues, bones and internal organs. This growth-promoting effect is achieved by GH acting on various cells containing GH receptors through the growth hormone medium C (somatomedin C) produced by the liver, also known as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). This is one of the early symptoms of pituitary tumors.

3. Adrenocorticotropic hormone tumor (ACTH adenoma, Cushing's disease): Tumor cells secrete excessive ACTH, causing adrenal cortex hyperplasia. Excessive secretion of glucocorticoids causes metabolic disorders of multiple substances, forming "cortisolism".

4. TSH adenoma: The patient's TSH, T3, and T4 are all elevated, the patient's thyroid gland is enlarged, local tremors can be felt, vascular murmurs can be heard, and sometimes there are exophthalmos, hyperappetite, weight loss, irritability, irritability, sweating, tachycardia, trembling hands, etc. TSH adenoma can be secondary to primary hypothyroidism. With thyroid hormone treatment, TSH can return to normal levels and the tumor will shrink.

5. Non-secreting adenoma: more common in adults aged 30 to 50, slightly more in males than in females, slow growth, large tumors at the time of diagnosis, significant compression and destruction of the pituitary gland, and symptoms of hypopituitarism. Generally, gonadotropin secretion is affected first, males show decreased libido, impotence, reduced external genitalia, testicular and prostate atrophy, low or absent sperm count, unnoticeable secondary sexual characteristics, delicate skin, and female pubic hair distribution; females have menstrual disorders or amenorrhea, atrophy of the breasts, uterus and its appendages, short stature, and intellectual impairment.

Therefore, it depends on the location, size, function and other specific conditions of the pituitary tumor; it is best to go to a large hospital for treatment; pituitary tumors are benign tumors and should be treated as soon as possible.