Drug treatment of pituitary tumours

Abstract

The primary therapeutic aims in the management of pituitary tumours are to correct the excess hormone secretion and to reduce tumour size to prevent damage to normal pituitary tissue and adjacent structures such as the optic chiasma. Treatment of pituitary tumours has been improved by advances in transphenoidal surgery and radiotherapy and by the development of effective drug therapy for prolactinoma and acromegaly. Dopamine agonists are first-line treatment in prolactinomas, and somatostatin analogues are often used in the management of acromegaly.