What is a pituitary Tumor?
A pituitary tumor, or pituitary adenoma, is a growth that most often appears in the front portion of the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is a small, bean-shaped organ that sits at the base of the brain, behind the bridge of the nose (Fig. 1). The pituitary gland is connected to the hypothalamus of the brain by a stem, or stalk. This gland secretes hormones such as prolactin, growth hormones, and adrenocorticotropic hormones that control or regulate certain functions of the body, including sexual development, bone growth, muscle growth, and the ability to control stress and fight disease. A healthy pituitary gland will release the secretions into the bloodstream and provide feedback to the hypothalamus, which regulates pituitary hormone responses depending on the needs of the body. Tumors of the pituitary gland interfere with this normal hormonal regulation process. They may ignore the signal from the hypothalamus and secrete excessive amounts of one or more of the hormones listed
A pituitary tumor is an abnormal growth of pituitary cells. Pituitary tumors can either be nonfunctional (that is they do not secrete hormones) or produce specific hormones, such as prolactin (causing infertility, decreased libido, and osteoporosis), growth hormone (causing acromegaly), ACTH (causing Cushing’s), TSH (causing hypothyroidism), or be nonfunctional (that is they do not produce hormones). These tumors behave according to their cell of origin and are named for the specific cell type affected. For example, if a tumor originates in a prolactin producing cell, the patient develops a prolactinoma-a prolactin secreting pituitary tumor that is common and usually treatable. High prolactin levels suppress production of the pituitary hormones (luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone) that stimulate production of estrogen or testosterone. Men with these tumors have low testosterone levels and lose their sex drive and eventually their masculine characteristics-hair, muscle
It’s an abnormal growth in the pituitary gland which is a pea-sized gland located at the base of the brain. If you look at a drawing of the head, you’ll see that it is behind the eyes under the optic nerves and the hypothalamus. Its function as the so-called master gland is to release hormones into the blood and to control the other glands of the body. It is controlled by the hypothalamus. It has three lobes, each with specific function, some of which include growth hormone, prolactin which stimulates production of milk after giving birth, skin darkening hormones, urine production, and others. Pituitary tumors are rare (about 10% of brain tumors), and most are benign (not cancer). Only about 1 person in 10,000 develops a pituitary tumor, but women are more at risk. These tumors normally grow quite slowly and don’t spread to other parts of the body. However, as they grow larger, they usually grow upward which puts pressure on the optic nerves and therefore causes visual problems. Some p
A pituitary tumor is a build up fluid or tissue that attaches to the pituitary gland .I have a 2mm. it has been there a couple of years but has not grown any Since this gland produces hormones it has to be regulated very closely and make sure the tumor is not growing and the chemistry is level in your body. This can cause severe mood swings,erratic behavoir.\,weight loss.and bad swelling of the breast along with leaking dicharge from the breast.
