Cryohypophysectomy for the relief of pain in malignant disease

Fifty consecutive patients with metastatic carcinoma who underwent cryohypophysectomy were studied. Of these, 26 had breast cancer, 19 had prostatic cancer, one had malignant melanoma, one had cancer of the kidney, and three had metastatic adenocarcinoma from an unknown primary tumour. After cryohypophysectomy, excellent pain relief was obtained in 48% of patients, good or acceptable pain relief was obtained in 40%, and poor or no relief in 12%. Two patients died: one of aspiration pneumonia and one of an unknown cerebral cause. Sixteen patients developed diabetes insipidus, of whom three required therapy with vasopressin; eight patients developed a cerebrospinal fluid leak, two of whom required surgical repair; and four patients developed meningitis, which resolved in three after antibiotic therapy. Results are compared with those from other published reports. Pain relief from cryohypophysectomy is surmised to be due to the production of endorphins, but no proof of this is available.