For example, one of the more common types of pituitary adenomas produces and secretes excess prolactin, a substance responsible for triggering milk production when a woman is nursing. In addition, because the pituitary gland is located near important visual pathways, a person with a pituitary adenoma may lose some or all of their vision. The meninges is the thin outer covering that lines the spinal cord and brain. Tumors that originate in the meninges are called meningiomas. Even though they are benign, they can still lead to severe neurological dysfunction.
Patients often suffer seizures, headache, weakness, and visual problems.
They occur more commonly in women and after the age of 40. Patients with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that predisposes to certain types of tumors, are at a greater risk for developing meningioma. Patients who have had previous brain radiation are also at a greater risk for developing meningioma. Many patients with meningiomas seem to have a genetic defect on chromosome number 22. Schwannomas are usually benign and slow-growing.