Advances in the treatment of prolactinomas

Prolactinomas account for approximately 40% of all pituitary adenomas and are an important cause of hypogonadism and infertility. The ultimate goal of therapy for prolactinomas is restoration or achievement of eugonadism through the normalization of hyperprolactinemia and control of tumor mass. Medical therapy with dopamine agonists is highly effective in the majority of cases and represents the mainstay of therapy. Recent data indicating successful withdrawal of these agents in a subset of patients challenge the previously held concept that medical therapy is a lifelong requirement. Complicated situations, such as those encountered in resistance to dopamine agonists, pregnancy, and giant or malignant prolactinomas, may require multimodal therapy involving surgery, radiotherapy, or both. Progress in elucidating the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of prolactinomas may enable future development of novel molecular therapies for treatment-resistant cases. This review provides a critical analysis of the efficacy and safety of the various modes of therapy available for the treatment of patients with prolactinomas with an emphasis on challenging situations, a discussion of the data regarding withdrawal of medical therapy, and a foreshadowing of novel approaches to therapy that may become available in the future

Adenomas hipofisários não secretantes: Estudo de 36 casos Nonfuntional pituitary adenomas: evaluation of 36 patients with surgical treatment

Apresentamos nossa experiência com 36 casos de adenomas hipofisários não secretantes. Estes adenomas foram divididos em não reativos e inativos de acordo com a imuno-histoquímica. Manifestaram-se por sintomas visuais, principalmente hemianopsia bitemporal; são macroadenomas, não havendo predomínio de adenomas circunscritos ou invasivos nos dois grupos. O tratamento é cirúrgico geralmente por via transeptoesfenoidal, com ressecção total ao redor de 40% dos casos e com melhora visual próxima aos 90% dos casos.<br>We present our experience with 36 cases of nonfunctional pituitary adenomas. These tumors were divided into non reactive and inactive in agreement with the immunohistochemical study. They present with visual symptoms, mainly bitemporal hemianopsia; they were macroadenomas, either invasive or non invasive, in both groups. The treatment is surgical using the transsphenoidal approach. Total resection was possible in about 40% of the cases. Visual improvement occurred in 90% of the patients