A nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFA) is a benign growth in the pituitary gland that does not produce any excessive hormone into the blood and is not cancerous. Non-functioning pituitary adenomas account for 15% of all pituitary adenomas, with approximately 70-90 cases per one million people. If you are looking for the pituitary adenoma management don’t look any further other than Dr. Rao’s hospital, Dr. Mohana Rao Patibandla is trained in both minimally invasive surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery to treat your tumor.

Symptoms of a Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenoma

These tumors do not result in symptoms based on excess production of hormones. Because of this, doctors can’t diagnose it until the tumor affects other structures, resulting in visual loss or headaches. In some patients, the tumor may compress the pituitary stalk and pituitary gland and cause a loss of the pituitary’s usual role in controlling the reproductive, thyroid, and adrenal gland function.

The earliest symptom of hormone deficiency is typically a loss of sexual function in men (from low testosterone) and loss of menstrual periods in women. People may also experience fatigue from low thyroid or cortisol levels. Some tumors are discovered incidentally when you’re being assessed for other reasons, such as an MRI scan performed after a car accident.

Symptoms related to the tumor:

• Headache
• Visual decline: blurred vision or difficulty with peripheral vision

Symptoms related to hormonal deficiency include:

• Growth hormone deficiency
• Growth failure in children
• Hypogonadism (low reproductive hormones)
• Delayed puberty in children
• Reduced or loss of sex drive
• Menstrual irregularities/loss of menstrual cycle
• Infertility
• Hypercortisolism (low cortisol)
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Hypothyroidism (low thyroid)
• Sensitivity to cold
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Personality changes
• Diabetes insipidus (low antidiuretic hormone)
• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Progressive loss of vision
• Hormone deficiencies

Diagnosis & Treatment at Dr. Rao’s Hospital

An endocrinologist determines which blood tests are necessary to investigate whether there are pituitary hormone deficiencies.

Although a pituitary adenoma can be seen on a regular MRI, you may require more detailed imaging of the pituitary to determine the anatomy of the tumor and its relation to the optic nerves and the pituitary gland.

Patients with visual symptoms are often referred for formal visual testing by a neuro-ophthalmologist. If you lose your vision, you’ll need immediate treatment.

Medications

There are no consistently effective medical treatments for this type of tumor. There are isolated reports of treatment with a dopamine agonist drug that showed some decrease in the tumor size. However, this occurred in a small number of patients.

If pituitary deficiencies are present before the surgery, hormone replacements will be prescribed to compensate for the loss of hormone production. This type of medication will not shrink or remove the tumor.

Surgery

Although small tumors can often be followed without surgery, large nonfunctioning adenomas require surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible.

Effective surgical treatment can improve vision and prevent additional vision loss. You might require hormone replacements even if you did not require these before. At follow-up, you’ll undergo a complete hormonal evaluation to determine which hormone(s) need to be replaced.

Radiation Therapy

The size and location of your tumor determine whether or not you need radiation therapy.

Since many NFAs are large, they may have grown large enough to surround other structures, such as the carotid artery or the optic nerves. Surgery alone can’t remove the entire tumor in these cases, but radiation therapy can shrink the remaining tumor.

Monitoring After Treatment

All pituitary adenomas, including a nonfunctioning adenoma, may recur at any time. You must get an MRI scan yearly for at least five years after surgery. You can have your MRI every two years if your tumor doesn’t recur. For the same, You need to consult your neurosurgeon and your endocrinologist.

While a nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma is a benign tumor, it requires treatment, regular monitoring, and follow-up. You can live everyday life with successful surgery and appropriate hormone replacement.

If you are looking for the pituitary adenoma management don’t look any further other than Dr. Rao’s hospital, Dr. Mohana Rao Patibandla is trained in both minimally invasive surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery to treat your tumor. Call us @9010056444 or 9010057444 for further queries.