It’s possible that your pituitary tumor will need require immediate treatment. Regardless, it’s important to know that you have options.
After you have been diagnosed with a pituitary tumor, your treatment options may include medication, surgery and chemotherapy/radiation. Your health care provider will discuss your options and help you select a personalized treatment plan.
“The best treatment for you depends on the specific type of tumor you have, the symptoms it is causing and your treatment goals,” said Dr. Lola Chambless, surgical director of the Vanderbilt Pituitary Center. “There are a number of factors to consider, and your doctor will help you find the right balance.”
Learn About Pituitary Tumor Treatment Options
Key factors include:
- If the tumor is cancerous (most pituitary tumors are not).
- The tumor’s size.
- If the tumor is making hormones, and if so, what kind.
- Your symptoms and whether they are causing problems in your life.
- The tumor’s location and impact on nearby anatomy.
- Your age, general health and willingness to accept certain side-effects, like how you will look or feel after treatment and whether it will impact your day-to-day activities.
Active surveillance or medications?
If the tumor is not causing bothersome symptoms, you may decide not to seek treatment immediately. “Instead, we create an active surveillance plan and keep an eye on the tumor in case any changes develop that need to be addressed,” Chambless said.
Medications can help slow or stop some tumors’ growth. If your tumor is producing hormones, you may be able to manage your symptoms through medication alone. Depending on the type of hormone, the size of the tumor and whether it is growing, your doctor may suggest a medication or combination of medications as a first step in treatment.
“If the medication makes the tumor go away, we might stop treatment and shift to active surveillance,” Chambless said. “Other times, the patient might be taking the medications on an ongoing basis.”
Chemotherapy or radiation for pituitary tumors
Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy if the tumor is cancerous. It can help improve your symptoms and their impact on your life.
Radiation can be used to kill the tumor or shrink it. “Radiation can be the best option when the tumor can’t be operated on because of its location,” Chambless said, “or it may also be a tool after surgery, when not all of a tumor can be removed or if some of it comes back.”
Surgery for pituitary tumors
Surgery is a common treatment for people with pituitary tumors. The goal of surgery may be to remove the tumor or remove the tumor and the pituitary gland, after which you will need hormone replacement medications.
“Surgery may sound like the most intense course of action,” Chambless said, “but the most common surgeries for pituitary tumors use minimally invasive techniques with the help of endoscopic cameras and long, thin tubes. We pass these directly through the nose and sinus cavities. These techniques leave no scars and do not require painful, extensive recovery times.”
Very large tumors that are affecting nearby parts of the brain may require a more invasive surgery called a craniotomy. To do this, the surgeon will access the brain by removing a piece of skull, and then work between and below lobes of the brain to take out the tumor.
“Over time, your tumor and symptoms may be best treated with some combination of medication, radiation and surgery,” Chambless said. “These decisions are highly individual — some of the treatment options may include side effects that you are not willing to risk, for example, or your tumor may be affecting your life in such a way that you want to be more aggressive. Making the decision can feel overwhelming, which is why we want to support you with information as you find the right fit for you.”
Personalized care for Pituitary Disorders
Pituitary disorders can disrupt the regulation of hormone systems in the body, which can affect your health in many ways. Vanderbilt’s Pituitary Center provides comprehensive, long-term treatment and care for adults with pituitary disorders.
