The pituitary gland is a tiny gland that is attached to the brain. It is located just underneath the front part of the brain, a few inches behind the eyes. It has an important role in regulating hormones in the body. Occasionally, the pituitary gland can develop a tumor within it, a condition that is often curable.

What is the function of the pituitary gland?

The pituitary gland is to the hormone systems of the body what a conductor is to an orchestra. The pituitary, sometimes called the "master" gland, is involved in controlling most of the other glands in the body that produce hormones. If a gland isn't producing enough hormones, the pituitary will send signals to that gland to produce more hormones and the reverse is true if the gland is producing too many hormones.

What happens when a tumor develops?

When a tumor develops in the pituitary gland, which is fairly uncommon, it can cause problems for two reasons. The first is the possible effects on the hormone system throughout the body and the second is the local effects of an expanding mass inside the skull.

Any tumor inside the skull can have serious consequences because it is quite crowded in this area. The skull is completely filled to capacity with the brain, some nerves, a few small glands, and blood vessels. A growing tumor has nowhere to go, so it ends up pressing on and invading other structures and increasing the pressure within the skull. These factors cause the local symptoms that occur with all the various subtypes of pituitary tumors (discussed below).

What are the symptoms?

Local effects

Local symptoms of a pituitary tumor include headaches, nausea, vomiting and decreased or blurry vision. A unique pattern of visual loss can sometimes be seen with a pituitary tumor that involves loss of the outside half of the vision in both eyes when looking straight ahead.

While mild headaches may be normal occurrences in our everyday lives, severe or persistent headaches, and the other mentioned symptoms should prompt a visit to a health care provider.

Hormonal effects

The other symptoms of a pituitary tumor are due to the hormonal effects of the tumor and these may occur even in a tumor that is too small to cause local symptoms. Alternatively, a pituitary tumor may cause local symptoms in the absence of hormonal symptoms, but more commonly, it is the other way around. Symptoms may be due to increased or decreased hormone secretion from the pituitary.

The most common symptoms of increased hormone secretion are more obvious in women, who can develop a clear or milky nipple discharge in both breasts and menstrual irregularities (usually menstrual periods stop completely). In men, this same tumor can cause decreased sex drive and sometimes nipple discharge as well. Many other hormonal problems can occur from pituitary tumors.

Hormonal disorder

Any of the following symptoms could be the result of a hormonal disorder, which has many potential causes in addition to a pituitary tumor, and should prompt a visit to your physician:

What is the treatment?

Fortunately, pituitary tumors are usually treatable or curable in most cases and rarely lead to death. Certain pituitary tumors may be treated with relatively mild medications to suppress their growth. These medications are not the same as the chemotherapy used to treat many cancers and do not cause hair loss or other severe side effects.

In other cases, surgery may be required to remove the pituitary tumor. While any surgery carries risks, especially brain surgery, most patients do extremely well.

After the surgery, depending on the type performed, patients may be required to take hormone replacement pills for the rest of their lives. This is often the most bothersome aspect of being treated for a pituitary tumor, but people with other kinds of brain tumors generally suffer much more severe consequences, so most patients don't mind taking the medications.

Pituitary tumors are relatively uncommon and are usually treatable and often curable. They cause symptoms because of both local and hormonal effects. If you recognize any of the symptoms mentioned, see your doctor for prompt evaluation and treatment.

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