Can pituitary tumors be completely cured

Pituitary tumors are common intracranial tumors that occur in the anterior pituitary gland. Most of them are benign, but they have a great impact on the normal endocrine function of the human body. Once the disease occurs, it will induce the appearance of various endocrine symptoms. Therefore, patients need to pay more attention to it, seek early treatment, and eliminate future troubles. The main treatments for pituitary tumors are drug therapy and surgical treatment. Let us learn about it.

Drug therapy has been a rapidly developing field in recent years, especially for hormone-secreting tumors, especially prolactinomas. With the popularity of bromocriptine, the price of the drug has dropped, and the side effects are getting fewer and fewer, 70% to 80% of our prolactinomas can now be treated with drugs, and even with lifelong drug treatment. For many large prolactinomas, huge prolactinomas, patients who are not suitable for surgery can also be treated with drugs first.

Most non-functioning pituitary microadenomas are not treated, even if there is a tumor. However, for non-functioning macroadenomas, surgery is the first choice. There are also some drug treatments. Pituitary adenomas may also be accompanied by some complications. The acromegaly patients mentioned above may also have heart disease or even heart failure. Can pituitary tumors be completely cured?

The specific methods of pituitary tumor surgery are generally divided into two categories: craniotomy and transsphenoidal approach. Transsphenoidal surgery is a method of not opening the skull, but directly reaching the pituitary tumor from the nasal cavity or under the lips, through an anatomical structure called the "sphenoid sinus" below the pituitary gland. Compared with craniotomy, it has the advantages of direct tumor exposure, no need to shave the hair or open the skull (cover), no change in the appearance of the craniofacial face, less trauma and risk, good efficacy, and high cure rate. It is currently the preferred surgical procedure used by most experts.

For the treatment of pituitary tumors, simply being able to perform transsphenoidal surgery is only the first step. Due to the particularity and complexity of pituitary tumors, there are many related professional issues involved. Therefore, choosing a large medical institution with a good reputation and a doctor who has specialized in pituitary tumors for treatment can ensure the best possible treatment effect.

Tips: Any pituitary tumor can cause headaches, ranging from mild to severe, and the degree of pain is not proportional to the size of the tumor. However, because pituitary tumors grow very slowly in the early stages, patients often seek medical attention only after the tumors become larger or more serious. Sometimes pituitary tumors accompany patients for many years without being discovered. Basically, only a few patients will experience sudden and severe headaches. Patients need to pay special attention to this.