Prolactinoma

Prolactinoma is one type of tumor of the pituitary gland. It is almost always non-cancerous. In this case, the pituitary gland overproduces prolactin in the body. There is no known cause. People most affected are under the age of 40. It is more common in women at a younger age; affected men are usually older. Prolcatinoma is rare in children.


Signs and Symptoms

Not everyone with prolactinoma will experience signs and symptoms. The effects are different for men and women, but there are a few that are similar.


Women:

• Irregular menstruation


• Milky discharge from breast when not pregnant or breast feeding
  
• Vaginal dryness noticed during intercourse

Men:

• Erectile dysfunction or impotence


• Loss of body hair


• Enlarged breasts
  

Both:

• Loss of interest in sex


• Headaches


• Infertility


• Low bone density


• Visual Disturbances
  

Women tend to notice symptoms earlier than men, so they rarely experience headaches and visual disturbances. When men detect symptoms, the tumors are usually larger, which leads to those symptoms because of pressure buildup.

Screening

Prolactinoma can be detected in blood tests because of the overproduction of prolactin. CT and MRI images are also helpful.

The above images were found at www.ent.uci.edu/endoscopic_pituitary_tumor.htm

Complications

If untreated, prolcatinoma can lead to vision loss because of pressure on the optic nerve. If the tumor becomes too large, it can effect other hormone productions of the pituitary gland. Women may experience osteoporosis and complications with pregnancy.


Treatment

The two major treatments for prolactinoma are oral medications and surgery. The oral medications given are dopamine agonists bromocriptine and cabergoline. Bromocriptine are more commonly given to women who are wanting or having children because of its proven safety rate. Medications are taken over a long period of time, but if these are ineffective the tumor is usually removed through surgery.

The above images are of a very severe prolactinoma that resulted in death. To find out more about this case, visit

http://www.endotext.org/neuroendo/neuroendo11b/index.html

Sources:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/