Radiation therapy in the management of pituitary adenomas

Radiation therapy in the form of fractionated treatment or radiosurgery has an important role in the management of pituitary adenomas. Radiation is a reliable way of gaining local control for radiographically progressing pituitary adenomas. For functioning adenomas that are biochemically recurrent or persistent, radiation therapy is less consistent in offering biochemical normalization and often requires a latency period of years or decades. The decision of when to use radiation therapy is a delicate balance between its benefits and late sequelae, especially in the context of benign disease. Recent technological advances in radiation oncology hold the potential to minimize dose to uninvolved normal tissue and therefore reduce the risk of toxicity.