Content Writer
Pituitary Adenoma is a tumour that arises from the Pituitary gland. It is caused by some change in the DNA, which further results in the abnormal growth of pituitary cells and turns them into tumours.
- Pituitary Adenoma is not cancerous, but if it is not treated on time, then it can cause serious illness.
- They can be treated with surgery, medication and radiation.
- The pituitary gland is a small organ that resembles the shape of a pea.
- Anterior pituitary and posterior pituitary are two important parts of the pituitary gland.
- It is joined with the hypothalamus located right behind your nose.
- Pituitary adenomas can be divided on the basis of their size and hormone-producing activity.
- It leads to the problem of infertility among humans.
Key Terms: Pituitary Adenoma, Pituitary gland, Tumor, DNA, Pituitary cells, Control growth, Blood pressure, Energy management, Sex organs, Thyroid glands, Metabolism, Hypothalamus, Endocrine Gland, Hormones
What is Pituitary Adenoma?
[Click Here for Sample Questions]
A pituitary Adenoma is a tumour that grows on the pituitary gland. It is non-cancerous, slow-moving, benign, and does not spread to other body parts.
- Although it is slow-moving, it can still put pressure on the surrounding body parts as it grows bigger.
- It can cause several serious symptoms.
- Pituitary Adenoma is likely to be caused by an accidental change in the DNA.
- It results in the abnormal growth of pituitary cells and turns into a tumour.
Pituitary Adenomas are found in 77 out of every 100,000 people. People in their 30s and 40s are more likely to have this issue. Women are more prone to adenomas than men.
- Based on the size, pituitary adenomas can be classified into micro or macroadenomas.
Pituitary Macroadenoma
Macro-adenomas are tumours larger than 1 cm and are twice as common as micro-adenomas. They are found in the adrenal and pituitary glands. Their symptoms include loss of vision and dysfunction of the pituitary gland.
- It also affects the colon, thyroid gland and kidneys.
Pituitary Macroadenoma
Micro-adenomas are tumours smaller than 1 cm. Moreover, most micro-adenomas are never found due to their small size. It can only be treated by surgery.
- Their symptoms include vomiting, headaches, loss of vision, breast changes, tiredness and headaches.
Pituitary Adenoma
Types of Pituitary Adenomas
[Click Here for Previous Year Questions]
Pituitary Adenomas can be categorised into three types:
Benign Adenoma
A benign adenoma is a type of tumour that originates in the glandular tissue. These tissues are part of larger tissues, which are known as epithelial tissues. It originated from the word adeno, which means pertaining to a gland.
- It has the potential to become adenocarcinomas, which are cancerous or malignant.
- They grow in size to disturb the functioning of the other organs.
- Individual needs to be operated if they are secreting excess hormones.
Invasive Adenoma
Invasive Adenoma is a type of tumour that extends into the cavernous sinus. It infiltrates the cranial bone, dura mater and sphenoid sinus. This type of tumour is not malignant.
- It also causes behavioural changes in an individual’s body.
Carcinomas
Carcinomas are a type of cancer that originate in epithelial tissue. It will grow and multiply and form tumors. The cancer will spread to surrounding tissue close to where it formed.
What is Pituitary Gland?
[Click Here for Sample Questions]
The pituitary gland is an endocrine gland that is situated at the base of the brain. It is the size of a pea and weighs 0.5 grams. It is made up of two parts: Anterior Pituitary and Posterior Pituitary.
- Pituitary gland secretes some very useful hormones that control growth, blood pressure, and energy management.
- It also controls the functioning of sex organs, thyroid glands, metabolism, pregnancy, childbirth, and many more.
- The gland consists of two lobes, namely the anterior lobe and the posterior lobe.
- Anterior lobe is located in the front and the posterior lobe is located at the back.
- The gland affects the functioning of hormones.
- It helps the body accordingly in case of stress and trauma.
Causes of Pituitary Adenoma
[Click Here for Previous Year Questions]
Various causes of Pituitary Adenoma are as follows:
- Obesity
- Deposition of fatty tissue that deposits around the midsection and upper back
- Bruises due to thin skin
- Muscle Weakness
- More thicker body hair
- Darkening of Skin
- Effects the menstrual cycles of womens
- Healing rate is reduced
- Infection Rate
- Skin acne
Symptoms of Pituitary Adenoma
[Click Here for Sample Questions]
Some of the common symptoms of Pituitary Adenoma are as follows:
- Headache
- Vision problem
- Nausea
- Infertility
- Sexual dysfunction
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight gain/loss
- Early menopause
The symptoms also vary depending upon the type of hormone released. Some special cases are as follows:
- Gigantism and acromegaly due to excessive release of growth hormone.
- Cushing disease due to excessive release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
- Hyperthyroidism due to excessive release of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
Diagnosis of Pituitary Adenoma
[Click Here for Previous Year Questions]
Pituitary adenoma is generally diagnosed through lab tests. The hormone level is checked in the blood. The growth of the pituitary can be seen through imaging tests such as MRI or CT scans.
- The tests help in confirming the diagnosis of pituitary adenoma.
- Sometimes, doctors might detect this infection by accident.
The test conducted by a doctor for the diagnosis of Pituitary Adenoma is as follows:
- Blood Test
- Examination of Eye
- MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scan
- CT (Computed Tomography) scan
Treatment of Pituitary Adenoma
[Click Here for Sample Questions]
Pituitary Adenoma is generally treated through surgery, medicine, radiation, or a combination of all of them.
Surgery
An endoscopic surgery is often performed to remove the tumour. In this surgery, the doctors reach the pituitary using very small tools and a camera mounted in a small opening.
- This technique is called the transsphenoidal technique.
- Doctors might also have to open the skull to reach the pituitary in case the transsphenoidal technique cannot be used.
Medicines
In some cases of Pituitary Adenoma, where the tumour is large, the doctors might suggest medicines that will shrink the size of the tumour and relieve the symptoms.
Radiation
Pituitary Adenoma can be treated with radiation therapy. In radiation therapy, high-energy X-rays are used to kill the cancer cells and shrink the size of the tumour.
- There is also a special form of radiation therapy, called stereotactic radiosurgery.
In Stereotactic Radiosurgery, a high dose of radiation is aimed at the adenoma from multiple directions to stop the tumour from growing.
Things to Remember
- A pituitary Adenoma is a non-cancerous, slow-moving, benign tumour that grows on the pituitary gland.
- It is found that people who are in their 30s and 40s are more likely to have this disease.
- Pituitary Microadenoma and Pituitary Macroadenoma are two types of adenoma based on their size.
- The tumour will affect the working of the pituitary gland and, in some cases, lead to infertility.
- It can be treated with surgery, medicine, and radiation.
Also Read:
Previous Year Questions
- Match the following diseases with the causative organism and select the correct option….[NEET 2020]
- Antibodies in our body are complex-...[NEET 2006]
- Antigens are present...[NEET 1995]
- Antivenom injection contains preformed antibodies while polio drops that are administered into the body contain -[NEET 1996]
- Cancer cells are more easily damaged by radiation than normal cells because they are -[NEET 2004]
- Cancerous cells can easily be destroyed by radiations due to : -[NEET 2002]
- Carcinoma refers to...[NEET 2003]
- Cell-mediated immunity in the human body is carried out by...[NEET 2013]
- Christmas disease is another name for..[NEET 2003]
- Cirrhosis of liver is caused by the chronic intake of...[NEET 2012]
- Common cold differs from pneumonia in that Pneumonia...[NEET 2012]
- The infectious stage of Plasmodium that enters the human body is...[NEET 2020]
Sample Questions
Ques: What is microadenoma and macroadenoma? (1 mark)
Ans: Microadenoma is the type of pituitary adenoma in which the size of the tumour is smaller than 1 cm. On the other hand, the size of the tumour in Macroadenoma is more than 1 cm.
Ques: What is Pituitary Adenoma? How is it categorised? (2 marks)
Ans: Pituitary Adenoma is a slow-moving, non-cancerous, and benign tumour in the pituitary glands. It is caused by an accidental change in the DNA. Pituitary Adenomas can be categorised into three types:
- Benign Adenoma
- Invasive Adenoma
- Carcinomas
Ques: What are the common symptoms of Pituitary Adenoma? (2 marks)
Ans: The symptoms of Pituitary Adenoma are as follows:
- Headache
- Vision problem
- Nausea
- Infertility
- Sexual dysfunction
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight gain/loss
- Early menopause
Ques: How can Pituitary Adenoma be treated? (2 marks)
Ans: Pituitary Adenoma can be treated through endoscopic surgery. Doctors might also suggest medications that will shrink the size of the tumour. The most effective method to treat Pituitary Adenoma is through radiation therapy in which high-energy X-rays are used to kill the cancer cells and shrink the size of the tumour.
Ques: When does the Pituitary Gland produce fewer hormones? (3 marks)
Ans: The cases when pituitary gland produce fewer hormones are as follows:
- When there is a lack of adult growth hormones.
- Diabetes that affects the kidneys is called diabetes insipidus.
- Insufficient pituitarism.
- Pituitary gland tumours.
- Tumors or injuries in the hypothalamus that affect the pituitary gland indirectly.
Ques: What is Pituitary Gland? (2 marks)
Ans: Pituitary Gland is a pea-shaped endocrine gland that is situated at the base of the brain. It weighs 0.5 grams. Pituitary Gland is responsible for growth control, blood pressure, energy management, functions of sex organs, thyroid glands, metabolism, pregnancy, childbirth, and many more.
Ques: Write name of three hormones that are secreted by the pituitary gland. (2 marks)
Ans: The three hormones secreted from pituitary gland are
- Growth hormone
- Adrenocorticotropic hormone
- Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).
Ques: What hormones are secreted by the posterior pituitary gland? What function do they serve? Where are these hormones actually produced? How are these hormones transported to the region from which they are released? (3 marks)
Ans: Vasopressin and Oxytocin are the hormones that are secreted by the posterior pituitary gland.
- Vasopressin: Vasopressin is secreted into the blood in the pituitary posterior lobe from the axon terminals of hypothalamic neurons. It increases the reabsorption of water from the urine and reduces the volume of urine.
- Oxytocin: It is released due to the distension of the uterus by the fetus. Oxytocin is released from the axon terminals of hypothalamic neurons into the blood in the posterior lobe of the pituitary and helps in childbirth.
Ques: Name the hormones involved in regulation of spermatogenesis. (5 marks)
Ans: The hormones that are involved in regulation of spermatogenesis are gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), Luteinising Hormone (LH), Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and androgens.
- Spermatogenesis starts during puberty due to increase in the secretion of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH).
- The increased levels of GnRH then acts at the anterior pituitary gland and stimulates secretion of two gonadotropins i.e luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).
- LH stimulates the synthesis and secretion of androgens and androgens further stimulates the process of spermatogenesis.
- FSH on the other hand stimulates the secretion of some hormones which help in the process of spermiogenesis.
Ques: Why does the brain go to the trouble of synthesizing releasing hormones, rather than simply directing the production of the pituitary hormones immediately? (5 marks)
Ans: Hormones that are secreted from the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland are actually synthesized by the neurons in the hypothalamus. They are stored in their axon ends of the posterior lobe for the secretion.
- The pituitary gland is called the Master endocrine gland because it produces various numbers of hormones and is responsible for the functioning of the hormones secreted by other endocrine glands.
- On the other hand, the pituitary gland is itself under control of the releasing hormones secreted by the hypothalamus of the brain.
- Thus, there is a chain of disorders as the hypothalamus directs the hormones secreted by pituitary glands which further controls the secretion of hormones by other endocrine glands.
Ques: Can we prevent pituitary adenoma? (3 marks)
Ans: You are powerless to stop a pituitary adenoma from growing. The majority of pituitary adenomas develop at random, although as was already mentioned, they are also linked to a few uncommon hereditary disorders.
- You might want to get tested genetically to see if you have the same condition as a parent or sibling if you have a first-degree relative who has it.
- This could aid in the early detection and screening of a pituitary adenoma.
- To improve the chances of identifying and treating a pituitary tumor before it causes issues.
- Your doctor might advise routine blood testing of your pituitary hormone levels.
For Latest Updates on Upcoming Board Exams, Click Here: https://t.me/class_10_12_board_updates
Check-Out:
Comments