Can pituitary tumors heal on their own?

Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 24, 2024
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Under normal circumstances, pituitary tumors generally do not heal spontaneously. Pituitary tumors are benign tumors and although they grow slowly, they tend to continue growing. When they enlarge to a certain extent, they produce a series of symptoms and signs, such as headaches behind the eye sockets, the forehead, and both temporal sides. If the tumor breaks through the sellar diaphragm, it might also affect the optic nerve, leading to decreased vision and visual field defects. Moreover, it can severely erode the pituitary gland, causing symptoms and signs like decreased pituitary function, endocrine hormone disorders, and bringing significant suffering to the patient.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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What should not be eaten with pituitary tumors?

For patients with pituitary tumors, it is advisable to be cautious about their diet in daily life. Try to avoid eating foods that are overly greasy, spicy, or irritating. It’s also best to limit or avoid consuming foods rich in cholesterol, carbohydrates, or fried foods. Additionally, women should avoid taking hormonal medications, especially short-acting hormonal drugs, as they can disrupt existing endocrine hormone balances, exacerbate symptoms, and lead to an increase in the size of the pituitary tumor. Furthermore, in daily life, avoid eating foods that may cause allergies, such as seafood products.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Postoperative complications of pituitary tumor surgery

For patients with pituitary tumors, a range of complications, sequelae, or concomitant ailments can easily occur after surgery. For instance, postoperative sellar hematoma may occur, and some patients may even experience the rupture of a pseudoaneurysm. Additionally, some patients may repeatedly suffer from headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and weakness in the limbs after surgery, along with significant memory decline, reduced cognitive function—including calculating ability, and orientation in time, space, and person—gradually diminishing. These are considered postoperative sequelae of pituitary tumor surgery.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Symptoms of Pituitary Tumors

For patients with pituitary tumors, they often present with headaches, typically located behind the eye sockets, forehead, and both temporal areas. In the early stages of the disease, the nature of the headache is relatively mild and intermittent, mostly due to direct stimulation by the tumor or due to increased intrasellar pressure causing compression of the pituitary dural sac and the diaphragm sellae. When the tumor breaks through the diaphragm sellae, the intrasellar pressure gradually decreases, and the pain may gradually lessen or disappear. In the later stages of the disease, headaches may occur due to the tumor spreading to the parasellar region, invading the dura and vessels at the skull base, and compressing the trigeminal nerve, causing severe pain. In rare cases, due to a large pituitary adenoma growing upward into the third ventricle, breaking through and causing obstruction of the foramen of Monroe or the cerebral aqueduct, progressive intracranial pressure increases.

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
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How much does a pituitary tumor grow in a year?

At present, in clinical practice, there is no evidence to show how much a pituitary tumor can grow in a year, because the specific pathological nature of pituitary tumors varies, the overall health status of an individual differs, as well as whether a corresponding disease mechanism has developed, and whether regular treatment has been administered. These factors definitely influence the pituitary tumor. For some benign or non-functioning pituitary tumors, the growth is very slow after certain treatments, and they will not recur or grow after surgical intervention. However, sometimes, malignant pituitary tumors can grow very quickly within a year, significantly affecting the surrounding nerve tissues due to compression. Therefore, it is crucial to have regular follow-ups or seek early treatment if a pituitary tumor is present, as this is the best approach to treatment.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Is a pituitary tumor easy to treat?

Our current understanding of pituitary tumors is quite deep, and we have accumulated rich treatment experience in the pathogenesis, disease progression, and treatment of pituitary tumors. Therefore, it is recommended to use surgical methods for pituitary tumor patients, especially those with obvious symptoms. Clinically, it is generally recommended to choose the transnasal-transsphenoidal approach for a complete resection of the pituitary tumor. For most patients, this can achieve good therapeutic effects. Moreover, with the continuous advancement of diagnostic techniques, early detection and treatment of small early pituitary microadenomas through complete surgical resection can also achieve good therapeutic outcomes.