Pituitary Adenoma

Excerpt

Pituitary adenomas are tumors of the anterior pituitary. Most pituitary tumors are slow-growing and benign. They are classified based on size or cell of origin. Pituitary adenoma can be described as microadenoma, macroadenoma, and giant tumors based on size. Microadenoma is a tumor less than 10 mm, while macroadenoma describes a tumor larger than 10mm. Giant pituitary tumors are bigger than 40 mm. There are functioning pituitary adenomas in which the cell type that composes them causes increased secretion of one or multiple hormones of the anterior pituitary. Alternatively, there are nonfunctioning adenomas that do not secrete hormones, but they can potentially compress the surrounding areas of the anterior pituitary leading to hormonal deficiencies. Patients with pituitary adenoma need to be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team that should include endocrinology, ophthalmology and neurosurgery.