Overview

The pituitary gland is a small but important gland located near the brain. This gland is often referred to as the “master endocrine gland” because it secretes a variety of hormones that affect many bodily functions. A pituitary gland has two lobes, anterior (the front) and posterior (the back), and each lobe is responsible for releasing specific hormones. Examples of hormones produced by the pituitary gland include:

• Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which stimulates the activity of the thyroid gland

• Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which controls secretions of the adrenal gland that support blood pressure, metabolism, and the body’s response to stress

• Gonadotropins (FSH and LH), which act on the testicles (in males) or ovaries (in females) to stimulate production of sperm or eggs, and to regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle

• Growth hormone, which promotes growth of the long bones in the limbs (arms and legs)

• Prolactin, which stimulates milk production in women after childbirth

A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a tumor. Some risk factors can be controlled, such as smoking, and some cannot be controlled, such as age and family history. Although risk factors can influence the development of a tumor, most do no directly cause a tumor. Some people with several risk factors never develop a tumor, while others with no known risk factors do. However, knowing your risk factors and communicating them to your doctor may help you make more informed lifestyle and health-care choices.
The only known risk factors for a pituitary gland tumor are two hereditary syndromes:

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1): This hereditary condition can cause an increased risk of pituitary tumors in affected family members.
Carney complex: This is another genetic condition that can raise the risk of a pituitary gland tumor.

Diagnosis

Doctors use many tests to diagnose a tumor and determine if it has metastasized (spread). Some tests may also determine which treatments may be the most effective. For most types of tumors, a biopsy is the only way to make a definitive diagnosis of cancer. For pituitary tumors, the biopsy is done as part of the surgery that removes the tumor, and a biopsy alone is not usually recommended. The doctor may suggest other tests that will help make a diagnosis. Imaging tests may be used to find out whether the tumor has metastasized.
Descriptions of the most common treatment options for a pituitary gland tumor are listed below.

Surgery

Surgery is the most common treatment for a pituitary gland tumor. The goal of surgery is to remove as much of the tumor as possible without harming nearby structures. Surgery for a pituitary tumor is often successful, but requires a surgeon skilled in this form of surgery. About 95% of surgeries to remove pituitary tumors are done by the transsphenoidal route (through nasal passage, going along the septum that separates the two nostrils, then through the sphenoid sinus cavity located deep above the back of the throat to the pituitary gland immediately behind it). The remainder are done through a craniotomy (an opening in the skull). This can be done using a microscope or an endoscope (a long flexible tube), or both, so the surgeon can see the tumor. Both of these methods are equally safe and effective in skilled hands. A surgical oncologist is a doctor who specializes in treating cancer using surgery. Learn more about cancer surgery.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays or other particles to kill tumor cells. A doctor who specializes in giving radiation therapy to treat cancer is called a radiation oncologist. The most common type of radiation treatment is called external-beam radiation, which is radiation given from a machine outside the body. In selected cases, stereotactic forms of radiation therapy (delivering a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor) are applied to any residual tumor of the pituitary gland left after a partial surgical removal. Not all patients with residual tumor require radiation therapy, because some benign pituitary gland tumors do not grow back even when some tumor is left behind after surgery. If surgical removal is complete, then radiation therapy is not necessary.