Treatments continued...

Hormone Therapy for Hyposecretion:

Sometimes tumors cause a lack of a hormone. Other times, the lack of a hormone is caused by the treatment you have for pituitary tumors. Surgery or radiation therapy, for example, can lead to permanent loss of hormone secretion. In these cases, hormone replacement therapy is an important part of treatment.

Some types of hormones are necessary for survival. These hormones must be replaced immediately.

Surgery:

The most common form of surgery to remove pituitary tumors is transsphenoidal microsurgery. A neurosurgeon approaches the pituitary gland tumor through the nose, in the sphenoid sinus cavity. Using this natural pathway, the surgeon does not need to operate on your skull. With a surgical microscope and special instruments, the surgical goal is to safely remove the tumor without damaging the surrounding pituitary gland.

Radiation therapy:

To treat a pituitary gland tumor with radiation, doctors may use a variety of techniques depending on the size and location of the tumor. Conventional radiation covers a wide area in and around the tumor and is usually given daily for several weeks. A number of more focused "radiosurgery" therapies, such as gamma knife and proton beam, may be appropriate.

All radiation therapy works slowly and it may take from six months at a minimum to many years for your condition to improve. This is why radiation therapy is usually used together with other medical therapies to normalize hormone secretion and/or control tumor size.