Management of prolactinomas-1986

Acta medica Scandinavica, 1985

Thirty-seven men with prolactin (PRL) producing pituitary adenomas were studied to elucidate if patient's delay might cause the predominance of large tumours in men as compared to women in whom microadenomas predominate. We found two clinical subgroups; one presented with short duration of symptoms, dominated by local signs from the growth of notably large tumours, the other exhibited a long history of disease with hypogonadism as the dominating symptom. There was a correlation between tumour size and PRL levels. The age at the time of diagnosis showed no correlation to duration of symptoms, size of adenoma or PRL levels. Four patients with small adenomas, moderate hyperprolactinemia and short duration of symptoms showed signs of hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. Surgery or irradiation, performed in 14 patients, did not normalize PRL levels. Bromocriptine was equally beneficial in the two clinical subgroups, improving clinical symptoms and normalizing PRL levels in all but three p...

Cureus

Prolactinoma, a prolactin (PRL) secreting functioning pituitary tumor, is the most common of all pituitary adenomas (PA) accounting for 40-60% and dopamine agonists (DA) are the cornerstone of treatment. The aim of this study was to review the clinical presentation, treatment modalities and therapeutic outcomes of patients with prolactinomas in the South Asia region. Methods This retrospective study was conducted in the Endocrinology Department of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre from December 2011 till December 2019. Medical records were used to retrieve for patient's demographics, clinical features at diagnosis, PRL levels and size of prolactinoma on MRI at diagnosis and after start of dopamine agonists and outcome of medical management. Results A total of 107 patients were included in this study. Mean age at diagnosis was 35 (22-54) years for men and 32 (18-50) years for women and 66.4% (71) of the patients were females. Our study included 38 (35.5%) microadenoma, 50 (46.7%) macroadenoma and 19 (17.8%) giant adenomas. At presentation, the most common symptom among females was menstrual irregularity/amenorrhea seen in 73.2% of females and among males was visual disturbance (80.6%). A significant reduction in PRL levels was seen within six to 12 months of treatment. Mean PRL levels decreased from 3162.8 ng/ml to 1.52 ng/ml. A notable decrease in tumor size was seen with medical management, mean adenoma size decreased from 2.18 cm to 1.04 cm. With cabergoline (CAB) 83.3% biochemical cure was seen compared to bromocriptine (BRC) which has 60.4%. The radiological response rate in CAB and BRC groups was 65.45% and 60%, respectively. Complete resolution of adenoma was seen in 13 patients (nine were microadenoma, two macro and two giant adenomas). The prolactin level at diagnosis was positively correlated with maximum tumor diameter (r = 0.469, P = 0.001). Two patients developed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea and the defect was repaired in both patients. Median follow-up duration was 40 (12-288) months. Conclusion Clinical presentation and demographics of prolactinoma are the same in our region when compared to the rest of the world. Cabergoline is superior to bromocriptine in prolactin normalization and tumor shrinkage but still bromocriptine is being used in a significant number of patients in low-income countries as first-line due to its low cost.

European Journal of Endocrinology, 2014

Giant prolactinomas are rare tumours, representing only 2–3% of all prolactin (PRL)-secreting tumours and raising special diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Based on several considerations developed in this review, their definition should be restricted to pituitary adenomas with a diameter of 40 mm or more, significant extrasellar extension, very high PRL concentrations (usually above 1000 μg/l) and no concomitant GH or ACTH secretion. Giant prolactinomas are much more frequent in young to middle-aged men than in women, with a male to female ratio of about 9:1. Endocrine symptoms are often present but overlooked for a long period of time, and diagnosis is eventually made when neurologic complications arise from massive extension into the surrounding structures, leading to cranial nerve palsies, hydrocephalus, temporal epilepsy or exophthalmos. PRL concentrations are usually in the range of 1000–100 000 μg/l, but may be underestimated by the so-called ‘high-dose hook effect’. As ...

Archives of endocrinology and metabolism

Prolactinomas are the most common pituitary adenomas (approximately 40% of cases), and they represent an important cause of hypogonadism and infertility in both sexes. The magnitude of prolactin (PRL) elevation can be useful in determining the etiology of hyperprolactinemia. Indeed, PRL levels > 250 ng/mL are highly suggestive of the presence of a prolactinoma. In contrast, most patients with stalk dysfunction, drug-induced hyperprolactinemia or systemic diseases present with PRL levels < 100 ng/mL. However, exceptions to these rules are not rare. On the other hand, among patients with macroprolactinomas (MACs), artificially low PRL levels may result from the so-called "hook effect". Patients harboring cystic MACs may also present with a mild PRL elevation. The screening for macroprolactin is mostly indicated for asymptomatic patients and those with apparent idiopathic hyperprolactinemia. Dopamine agonists (DAs) are the treatment of choice for prolactinomas, particul...

Journal of Neurosurgery, 2002

HE outcome and treatment of prolactinomas have improved dramatically within the past three decades. Transsphenoidal microsurgical resection allows a precise adenomectomy with preservation of normal pituitary function and low complication rates. Although it was initially popular as the treatment of choice in prolactinoma therapy, transsphenoidal adenomectomy had recurrence rates of hyperprolactinemia ranging from 26 to 50% in large surgical series. Although more recent reports with rigorous long-term follow-up review contained reduced postoperative recurrence rates (12-15%), 14,32,49 dopamine agonist drugs are now the treatment of choice for most patients with hyperprolactinemia. Administration of bromocriptine, a semisynthetic ergot alkaloid and long-acting dopamine agonist, results in normalization of prolactin levels in more than 80% of patients with controlled prolactinoma growth. Bromocriptine inhibits secretion and synthesis of prolactin and proliferation of lactotroph cells within the anterior pituitary. Although prolactinoma cells usually remain sensitive to bromocriptine, the drug does not cure these adenomas; discontinu-ation of therapy often results in recurrent hyperprolactinemia. Although prolactinomas are the most common secretory pituitary tumor, giant pituitary adenomas are a rare subcategory of pituitary lesions. Overall, population of giant pituitary adenomas raise distinct and complex management issues because of frequent involvement of the CS and other parasellar and basal forebrain structures. Giant pituitary adenomas with evidence of invasion on neuroimaging have a variable clinical course. On one end of the spectrum, there have been reports of adenomas infiltrating the CS, and on the other, adenomas with a stable course and no growth for years have been observed. The growth rate and growth potential of these tumors has not yet been elucidated. Originally described as having large suprasellar extension and associated with very high morbidity and mortality rates, 4,19,23,53 giant pituitary adenomas are now associated with improved outcomes provided by microsurgical techniques and instrumentation. Giant prolactinomas stand out clinically among this group of giant pituitary tumors, not only in their known frank invasiveness, 1,39 but also in their presumed hyperresponsiveness to pharmocotherapy. 34,37 Although case reports and anecdotal descriptions of giant prolactinomas exist in the surgical literature, there are no published Object. Giant prolactinomas are rare tumors whose treatment and outcome has only been addressed in isolated case reports. The authors document the long-term follow-up findings and clinical outcome in a group of patients with giant prolactinomas.

Journal of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad : JAMC

Prolactinomas are the most common type of functional pituitary tumours. The objective of this study was to determine demographic profile of patients with prolactinomas, and to compare the outcomes in patients treated with Cabergoline versus those receiving Bromocriptine treatment. This descriptive study was conducted at Endocrinology Section, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. We reviewed the medical record of 68 patients with prolactinoma. Data about demographic characteristics, clinical presentation and treatment were entered on a pre-designed pro forma. Out of the total 68 patients, 36.8% were males and 63.2% were females, with a mean age of 34±10.7 years. The most frequent presenting complaint amongst the patients was of headache, present in 57.4% patients. Galactorrhea, amenorrhea and infertility were next highest reported symptoms. Results of the tumour size on initial MRI showed macroprolactinomas 52.9% (36), microprolactinomas in 33.8% (...

Pituitary, 2005

We prospectively analyzed presentations and long-term therapeutic responses to bromocriptine (BRC) in 29 newly diagnosed men with macroprolactinomas including 14 patients with 'giant prolactinoma'. Clinical symptoms, prolactin (PRL) levels and tumor size on MRI were measured before BRC and sequentially thereafter. The duration of follow-up were 6 to 96 (30.7 ± 14.4) months. Pretreatment PRL ranged between 124 and 29200 ng/mL (1698 ± 857.1) and tumor volume was between 2.81 and 132 cm3 (21.1 ± 24.3). Baseline PRL levels did not correlated with tumor volume (r = 0.45, P > 0.05). Significant decrease (P = 0.0003) in PRL, at least 96% of the pretreatment value from 1698 ± 857.1 ng/mL to 42.4 ± 30.6 ng/mL occurred in 26 patients. Persistent normalization of PRL levels (P = 0.005) at study completion. An improvement in visual field defects (VFD) and restoration of libido and potency was observed in 40% and 33.3%, respectively. Trans-sphenoidal / trans-frontal pituitary surgery was performed in 9 patients (31%) for various reasons: pituitary apoplexy in 1, CSF rhinorrhea in 2, increasing prolactin in spite of BRC therapy in 3, and intolerant /resistant to BRC in 3 patients. These data suggest that, in male macro- and giant prolactinomas, dopamine agonists represent the first-line therapy effective in reducing PRL, restoration of libido and potency, improvement of VFD and determining tumor shrinkage.

Medical oncology and tumor pharmacotherapy, 1992

A ten-year experience on 36 patients bearing macroprolactinomas (MP) and 86 others bearing microprolactinomas (mP) is reported in this study. Different therapeutical approaches were used: 1) trans-sphenoidal surgery in 24 patients with MP and in 25 with mP; 2) medical therapy with the oral form of bromocriptine (BRC) in all the 24 patients with MP previously subjected to surgery, in 48 patients with mP ab initio, and in 16 out of 25 patients with mP previously subjected to surgery; 3) medical therapy with the long-acting injectable forms of BRC in 12 MP- and 13 mP-bearing patients, and 4) conventional radiotherapy in 12 of the 24 patients with MP previously subjected to surgery. The follow-up, performed five years after surgery, showed that: a) all the 24 patients with MP but one had normal PRL levels during BRC administration, with a rebound of hyperprolactinemia in all cases after withdrawal; b) during the treatment BRC caused normalization of PRL in 15 of the 16 mP-bearing patien...

Collegium antropologicum, 2014

The dilemma of whether to apply surgical or drug treatment to prolactinomas has been ongoing for the past 30 years. The aim of this study is to compare the early postoperative values of prolactin (PRL) in two groups of patients with prolactinomas: those who underwent primary surgical-treatment, and those who underwent surgery after a dopamine agonist (DA) therapy. We present the results of surgical treatment on a series of 161 patients with prolactinomas. Surgery was the primary treatment in 65 patients, while 96 patients had surgery following a long-term treatment with a DA. All surgically treated prolactinomas were operated in the standard transsphenoidal, microsurgical approach. The criteria for hyperprolactinemia remission was a PRL level under 25 ng/ml. Early normalization of PRL was achieved in 92% of those patients who underwent primary surgical-treatment, yet it was achieved in only 42% of patients who were operated on after receiving a long-term drug treatment with a DA. Th...

Endocrine Practice, 2010

Pituitary lactotrophs secrete prolactin. This process is enhanced by estrogen and inhibited by dopamine. Prolactinomas are benign neoplasms that rarely increase in size and are classified according to size as microadenomas (<10 mm diameter) or macroadenomas (>10 mm diameter). The clinical features of prolactinomas most commonly result from prolactin's effect on the gonads and breast in women and from mass effect in men. This review details the clinical features and management of patients with prolactinomas.

Bromocriptine (BRC) and other dopamine agonist drugs are the first-choice treatment for prolactinomas. However, the major disadvantage is the need for prolonged therapy. We retrospectively studied 131 patients [62 microprolactinoma (MIC), 69 macroprolactinoma (MAC)], who achieved serum prolactin (PRL) normalization during BRC use. Twenty-seven percent of them (31% MIC and 69% MAC) underwent previous surgery. Twenty-seven patients (20.6%: 25.8% MIC and 15.9% MAC) persisted with normoprolactinemia after a median time of 44 months of BRC withdrawal. The median time of BRC use was 47 months. There were no statistically significant differences regarding age, gender, BRC initial dose, length of BRC use, tumor size, pregnancy during treatment, previous surgery, or radiotherapy among patients who persisted with normoprolactinemia and those who did not, using both univariate and multivariate analysis. BRC-induced prolactinoma cell alterations are highly controversial; and so, whether the mechanism of PRL normalization after BRC withdrawal is related to BRC use or whether it is attributable to natural history is a matter for debate.

Cancer, 1986

The authors observed the clinical course of 24 women with surgically removed prolactinomas for a mean postoperative interval of 62 months. The frequency of late tumor recurrence and probable factors responsible for the recurrence were investigated. Hyperprolactinemia recurred in 4 of 13 patients with microadenomas (31%) 3 to 9 months after removal. In the macroadenoma group, relapse of hyperprolactinemia occurred in 10 of 11 patients (91%), an average of 26 months after the initial postoperative return to normal prolactin levels. Return of hyperprolactinemia was accompanied by radiologic evidence of tumor recurrence in all patients with macroadenoma, and in one patient with microadenoma. Of 12 tumors in which adjacent dura was available for histopathologic examination, 7 showed dural invasion. Although these seven patients had significantly higher preoperative levels of serum prolactin than the five without dural invasion, there was no significant relation between dural involvement and tumor recurrence. The probabilities of tumor recurring from multifocal adenoma or paraadenomatous lactotrope hyperplasia could not be assessed using our surgical material. The most plausible reason for the high recurrence rate of prolactinomas after apparent surgical cure, in the absence of defined anatomic abnormalities within the pituitary, is a functional abnormality of hypothalamic-pituitary control resulting from a primary hypothalamic disorder.

Prolactinomas are benign hormone-secreting pituitary tumors. They can cause symptoms secondary to prolactin secretion as well as space-occupying lesion effects. The management of prolactinomas in pregnancy differs from that in the non-pregnant state. In this article, the etiology, pathophysiology, epidemiology, symptoms, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, management, and treatment of prolactinomas in men and women (pregnant and non-pregnant) are described. Definition of Prolactinomas Prolactinomas are the most common hormone-secreting pituitary tumors that occur due to the neoplastic transformation of the anterior pituitary lactotrophs. They are benign, non-cancerous tumors and rarely become malignant. Depending on their size, they are classified as follows:

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1984

Serum prolactin (PRL) was estimated for up to 2 months after discontinuation of therapy with either bromocriptine (n=33; 15 with idiopathic disease, 12 with pituitary microadenoma, and six with macroadenoma) or metergoline (n=23; 1 1 with idiopathic disease, and 12 with microadenoma) that had been administered for 8-30 months. Only five patients treated with bromocriptine and two treated with metergoline had PRL levels that remained normal or below 50% of pretreatment values. Among the patients followed-up for up to 12 months, four showed a fall in PRL at 3-4 months, but this was followed by a rise in one patient. Five patients showing persistently lower or normal PRL after drug withdrawal were retested with thyrotrophin-releasing hormone; the two responsive women also had a normal response before treatment. Of 10 patients followed for 9 months, three had persistently normal PRL levels. Amenorrhoea and anovulation recurred, with some delay, in all the patients showing PRL rebound except one. Medical treatment of hyperprolactinaemia only rarely results in permanent benefit.