Is the recurrence rate high after pituitary tumor surgery?

When it comes to pituitary tumors, everyone is very scared. After all, they grow in the brain. However, many pituitary tumors are benign. As long as they are detected and treated actively, they will still get better. Don't be afraid. Recently, many people have asked me whether the recurrence rate after pituitary tumor surgery is high. Now let's learn about the recurrence rate after pituitary tumor surgery!

The issue of the postoperative recurrence rate of pituitary tumors must be taken seriously. The recurrence rate of pituitary tumors after surgery is not very high, and whether or not a pituitary tumor recurs depends entirely on the circumstances of tumor resection and the nature of the tumor itself. If the tumor is no longer visible on imaging and the endocrine examination is normal, it will hardly recur. If the tumor is invasive, has no complete borders, and grows to other places, it will be very difficult to completely remove it. The so-called recurrence rate depends on whether the tumor is completely removed and then found to grow again. This situation is rare. If part of the tumor remains, some may not grow out immediately, and some may not even grow.

Common sequelae of pituitary tumor surgery

1. Nasal bleeding: After the surgery for pituitary tumor, the patient will have nasal bleeding after the gauze strips used to pack the nasal cavity are removed. At this time, cotton balls can be placed in the nasal cavity to stop the bleeding. If the bleeding is severe, angiography must be performed.

2. Headache: It may be caused by nasal mucosal edema and intrasphenoidal sinus inflammation due to pituitary tumor surgery, or it may be caused by other factors.

3. Hyponatremia: On the 4th to 8th day after pituitary tumor surgery, the patient may experience low fever, weakness, headache, nausea, vomiting, and in severe cases, worsening of consciousness.

4. Nasal secretions: Generally, within a few months after pituitary tumor surgery, patients will often have nasal congestion, nasal bleeding or cool liquid.

How to treat meningioma safely?

At present, with the continuous development of tumor radiotherapy, radiotherapy for brain tumors has become the first choice. This is mainly because radiotherapy for brain tumors does not involve surgery, no major trauma, is not easy to cause damage to brain tissue, and has a fast recovery and few complications. At present, the most commonly used radiotherapy for pituitary tumors in my country is CyberKnife. CyberKnife is a stereotactic radiotherapy introduced from abroad. It is precise and has an error of less than 1 mm. It usually only takes 1-5 times to effectively remove the lesions for the treatment of brain tumors, and the recovery is very fast.

Postoperative recovery precautions

(1) Recheck to understand the physical condition: After surgery, some patients' body functions and organs will change, such as high blood pressure, endocrine dysfunction, high blood sugar and infertility before surgery. Recheck after surgery is necessary to understand the physical condition and give corresponding treatment according to the examination results, such as whether to continue hypoglycemic and antihypertensive treatment, and whether endocrine dysfunction requires hormone replacement therapy.

(2) Check whether the tumor has recurred: Clinical data show that most patients will not have recurrence of the tumor after tumor resection, but some patients still have tumor regrowth, most of which grow in the original location. Therefore, it is recommended to check 1-2 times a year after surgery. If there are no clinical symptoms and abnormalities in imaging examinations, the number of checkups can be gradually reduced until they are stopped.

(3) Check whether the tumor has regrown: In clinical practice, there is a strict distinction between recurrence and regrowth. Recurrence refers to the appearance of a new tumor in the brain after the original tumor has been completely removed; regrowth refers to the continued growth of the residual tumor after partial removal of the tumor. This requires a review based on the specific circumstances of the disease. If clinical symptoms reappear or the original symptoms worsen, a timely review and appropriate treatment should be given to avoid delaying the disease.