They range from serious but treatable conditions like Cushing's syndrome to milder symptoms such as loss of libido. These milder complaints, even if not life threatening, can cause much distress. Normally, the pituitary gland consists of a mixture of cells producing various hormones. Sometimes a noncancerous tumor develops from a cell making one kind of hormone. As that tumor grows, it pumps out extra amounts of that hormone.
Various conditions can develop from a pituitary tumor.
Overproduction of a hormone called ACTH causes Cushing's syndrome, in which the body is exposed to high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. In some of the studies, pituitaries were examined during autopsies. In others, brains of living patients were scanned. The high rate of hormone-producing tumors is particularly newsworthy, said Dr. Daniel Kelly, director of the UCLA pituitary tumor and neuroendocrine program. You will not be charged to look for stories, only to retrieve one.