Advances in the diagnosis and management of pituitary tumors

The diagnosis of pituitary tumors has improved with advances in magnetic resonance and radionuclide and hormonal testing. The widespread availability of neuroimaging has significantly increased the number of incidental pituitary tumors coming to medical attention. Conventional therapy with transsphenoidal surgery, external-beam radiotherapy, and bromocriptine has enabled the majority of patients with pituitary tumors to be effectively treated. These therapies have been complemented by advances in stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy, and the development of pharmacologic agents with greater specificities or longer duration of actions such as quinagolide, octreotide, lanreotide, and depot preparations of bromocriptine. These newer treatments have improved the control of pituitary tumors refractory to conventional therapy.