Tiny Tumors

Another compelling reason to do something is some pituitary tumors are tiny, so tiny, sometimes we don’t even see them very well on imaging. Yet, they produce enormous amounts of a hormone. And this excess production of hormone can sometimes wreak havoc throughout the body. And so sometimes we will have a compelling reason to treat a pituitary mass even when it’s not pushing on anything. And that’s a little different twist on many brain masses where usually we’re treating because they are pushing on a critical structure. Pituitary masses form one exception to that rule where even if the masses physically small, we will sometimes treat simply because the hormone that produces produces such a untoward effect on many, many systems of the body.