Pituitary Adenomas

A SEGA is a non cancerous tumor that occurs in the brain (TS Alliance). Treatment of this type of tumor is difficult, but possible. Barnes Jewish Hospital located in St. Louis Missouri offers treatment for patients with otherwise inoperable brain tumors. The treatment is provided by new technology that include the ablation of the tumor. Dr. Eric Leuthardt performs this surgery with a system known as the NeuroBlate. This system has been FDA approved for neurosurgery (Barnes Jewish Hospital). By taking a part in a clinical trial using the NeuroBlate technology, many patients are given a normal life

5. It is expected that after his transsphenoidal hypophysectomy, all of B.J.’s anterior pituitary hormones will be deficient (panhypopituitarism). What type of hormone replacement will be needed?

The American cancer society estimated that 18,500 people would be diagnosed with brain tumor and those 12,760 men and women would die of brain cancer in 2005.The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimated that 22,070 new cases of brain and other central nervous system (CNS) cancers would be diagnosed in the United States in 2009. The American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) clarifies this statistic further by estimating that 62,930 new cases of primary brain tumors would be diagnosed in 2010. By the year 2030, there will be 26 million new cases, and the death toll will reach to around 1.7 million people. According to World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 120 types of brain tumors.

Another diagnostic method to diagnose adrenal tumors is cortisol saliva testing. In this test, the amount of cortisol in the saliva at or near midnight is normally very low. Multiple repeats of the test to confirm elevated cortisol levels can diagnose Cushing's syndrome. Cushing's syndrome is excess cortisol levels, possibly due to the body secreting too much

This pituitary tumor can also be referred to as a pituitary adenoma, and they are most often benign. This form of Cushing’s syndrome is more common in women and is the most common form of endogenous Cushing’s disease. The tumor of the pituitary gland secretes overly large amounts of ACTH, which then stimulates the adrenal glands to produce and secrete more cortisol than necessary. Another tumor-related cause of Cushing’s syndrome is when a tumor forms on an organ that does not usually produce ACTH. The tumor produces and secretes excess ACTH which then leads to the overproduction of cortisol. These tumors are called ectopic ACTH-secreting tumors, and they can be malignant or benign. Ectopic ACTH-secreting tumors are commonly found in the pancreas, thyroid, thymus gland, and lungs.

Chordomas are considered rare neoplasms with an incidence of 0.08/100 000.(1) chordomas arise from remnant notochord cells found mainly within the clivus and sacrococcygeal regions . But also, can be found at any site along the vertebral column (2). The presentation of clival chordomas tend to be late, associated neurological impairment due to involvement of the lower cranial nerves (3). Clival chordomas are also challenging to treat due to their site , anterior to the brainstem, and their aggressive locally invasive nature (4,5) and they are radioresistant lesions . clival chordomas have relatively poor survival of 0.9 years without treatment (6). Extended open skull base approaches to the clival region are traditionally the mainstay for achieving gross total resection in chordoma. Extended subfrontal transbasal, anterior transfacial, and lateral transtemporal or far-lateral approaches have been described, as well as staged surgical approaches. (7-9) . These approaches to the anterior midline skull base often require extensive removal of skull base bone and brain retraction, and they put critical neurovascular structures between the operating surgeon and the pathology. With the advent and incorporation of the rigid endoscope into neurosurgical practice and the active collaboration between ENT surgeons and neurosurgeons, extended endonasal endoscopic approaches have become well-accepted, minimally invasive routes to the midline and paramedian skull base. The endoscopic

Serum cholesterol rates have been the most reliable means of predicting remission after pituitary surgery to manage Cushing's. However, this study suggests that surgery is not always the best option, and often results in a cyclic form of hypercortisolism.

“The pituitary adenoma itself may put pressure on the remaining normal part of the pituitary gland and limit or destroy its ability to produce hormones appropriately” (Stewart & Vance). With the increase in tumor pressure the patient may experience nausea and vomiting. The pituitary adenoma may cause body hair loss, sexual dysfunction, increase frequency and increase amount of urination. The pituitary adenoma is growth hormone secreting tumor causing the hands and feet to enlarge (www.mayoclinic.org). A growth hormone adenoma is the reason for the unexplained weight gain and the change in shoe size from 10 to 12.

Neuro-Oncology is the study of cancer in the brain, skull base, or spinal cord. They can also treat genetic disorders of a certain type such as Neurofibromatosis. Neurofibromatosis is tumors that grow in the nervous system that is caused by a genetic disorder. The main purpose of the research was to gain information on Neuro- oncology, general information on brain tumors, and general information on specific tumor types. Central nervous system tumors include various gliomas such as glioblastoma multiforme, astrocytoma, brainstem glioma, ependymoma, and oligodendroglioma. Furthermore, meningioma and vestibular schwannomas. Other conditions neuro-oncologist can treat are central nervous system lymphoma, metastic disease to the spine

Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery provides another treatment option but has

Radiation therapy is the ionization of atoms in tissues resulting in formation of highly reactive radicals in a well-defined, restricted volume (1). In other words, ionizing radiations are used to eradicate tumors and at the same time preserve structure and function of normal tissue. A limitation is prevented from being a problem. If bone marrow or neuronal cells are destroyed or injured, they do not regenerate. However, with radiation therapy, these cells are often saved from injury or destruction, unless the tumor is infecting bone marrow or neuronal cells. Today, radiation therapy is the most popular type of cancer therapy in use. It is used to treat one-half to two-thirds of all cancers, which translates to more than ten percent of the population

These two lobes play a key role in these diseases because they secrete cells, release anterior pituitary hormones, and the terminals release posterior pituitary hormones. Both lobes secrete to their own pituitary gland, so the anterior gland will not secrete to the posterior gland at all. The importance of both of these glands is that when they secrete too much GH hormone during puberty it causes both of these diseases. The hypothalamus, optic chiasma, and pineal gland all also play key roles also. Growth Hormones are required for proper growth and development, effects fat metabolism directly, and indirectly effects bone growth. Gigantism is commonly caused by pituitary tumors which block gonadotropin release. The tumors of the pituitary secrete mutant proteins that cause GHRH to be eliminated. When Gonadotropin release is blocked it is not good and causes amenorrhea in women and impotence in men. Gonadotropin release is responsible for sexual development which is why it is not good when it is blocked. Acromegaly is very similar to Gigantism and sometimes they are tied together because of how similar they are. In acromegaly, an individual's

Pheochromocytoma (PCC) is a rare endocrine tumor involving the adrenal gland and is most common in preadolescent boys and adolescent girls. It is caused by pheochromocyte (chromaffin cells) neoplasms, which predominantly form in the adrenal medulla. However, they can also form in the extra-adrenal spaces, within the sympathetic paraganglia in the thoracic, abdominal and pelvic cavities. These neoplasms synthesize and secrete excess amounts of catecholamines, which produce symptoms - specifically hypertension, sweating, abdominal pain and weight loss (Ciftci et al., 2001; Estey and Diamandis, 2013). There have been improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of PCC in recent years. Usage of plasma and urine testing for catecholamines and their

There are two parts to the pituitary gland, the anterior pituitary and the posterior pituitary.  The anterior pituitary has two types of chromophils, acidophilus and basophils.  These two are separated into different classes of cells that have differing secretory products and aim for different organs.  The anterior pituitary discharges five different types of hormone, somatotrophs, mammotrophs, corticotrophs, tyrotrophs, and gonadotrophs.  The posterior pituitary only releases two hormones, antidiuretic

The pituitary is a small endocrine gland found at the base of your brain that creates, controls, and releases a few critical hormones which are responsible for our body to function properly. Acromegaly is an unusual condition of the pituitary gland. The disorder is a hormonal sickness