Introduction
A pituitary tumor is one of the common types of tumor that could grow on humans. It is the abnormal growth of tissue in the pituitary gland (ADAM, 2009). The pituitary gland is simply the organ responsible for regulating the body’s balance and it is also an endocrine organ since it’s also responsible for regulating hormones.
The pituitary gland is a part of the brain and it is quite obvious that any abnormal growth of tissue on that area could result into death if not treated. Compression of brain structures could also occur since there is a very limited space in that area. This paper will discuss the causes, effects and risk factors that an individual requires for him to have the possibility of developing pituitary tumors.
Possible Effects of Tumors
There are a couple of recorded incidences of other disorders secondary to pituitary tumors. An obvious effect of pituitary tumor to the body is the compression of structures where it grew. Supposing it grew directly on the pituitary gland, then there is a good chance that it will compress the gland and impair its function depending on several factors as well such as the size of the tumor and the type. Tumors could either be malignant or benign (Anonymous, 2005). In general, disorders such as hyperthyroidism, crushing syndrome, nipple discharge and other disorders especially hormonal imbalances were recorded.
Usually, patients with pituitary tumors will complain of headaches with moderate to intolerable pain (Riskind, 2011). The pain is usually centralized in certain areas of the face and head only depending on the location and size of the tumor. Pain may occur on the unilateral or bi-frontal face depending also on the said factors. Pituitary tumors could also affect the eyes. Blurring of and Double Vision are two of the most common complication of pituitary tumors (ADAM. 2010). The headache that the patients feel may also be attributed to the loss of the sharpness of vision and their inability to see objects that have small details.
Diagnostic Tests and Treatments
It is usually very hard for medical doctors to diagnose whether a patient has pituitary tumors without conducting ancillary procedures (e.g. X-Ray). However, they could rule out several other conditions that could also be associated with pituitary tumors by looking at the symptoms that the patient exhibits. Evaluation of pituitary function could also be done to diagnose the presence of a tumor.
CT scan and MRI screening procedures are two of the most common ancillary procedures done to diagnose presence of pituitary tumors because of their effectiveness (NMC, 2012) and perhaps because they are the only ones available to diagnose such tumors these days. X-Rays are completely unreliable in such cases because they could only present an image of bones.
Radiation therapy is usually done to control the growth of the tumor. In some cases, it could also be an effective way of decreasing the size of the tumor which also depends on several factors like which would most likely be attributed with the characteristics of the tumor. Surgery, by far, is the only way to remove a pituitary tumor effectively. At some point, surgery could also be combined with radiation therapy to improve the outcomes and to have a better chance of controlling the progression of the tumor and the diseases associated with it.
References
ADAM. (2009). Pituitary Tumor. Diseases and Conditions. Accessed January 2012. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001723.
Anonymous. (2005). Facts about Benign and Malignant Tumors. Accessed January 2012. Available at http://www.mesothelioma-treatments.org/benign.html.
Riskind, P. (2011). Pituitary Tumors and Headaches. NeuroEndocrine Clinical center & Pituitary Tumor Center. Accessed January 2012. Available at http://pituitary.mgh.harvard.edu/e-s-963.htm.
ADAM. (2010). Visual Problems. ADAM Medical Encyclopedia. Accessed January 2012. Available at http://pituitary.mgh.harvard.edu/e-s-963.htm.
NMC. (2012). Pituitary Tumor. NeuroSurgical Medical Clinic. Accessed January 2012. Available at http://www.sd-neurosurgeon.com/neurodiseases-pituitary-tumor.php.
