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Australian Prescriber Vol. 32 No. 1 2009
Pituitary tumours
The pituitary is a gland at the base of the brain. It makes several hormones which control some of the body's functions. For example, it makes growth hormone and the hormone which controls the thyroid gland.
A tumour of the pituitary can cause too much hormone to be made. It can also cause pressure inside the skull. This can affect the patient's vision. Very few pituitary tumours are malignant.
Treatment aims to shrink the tumour and restore the amount of hormone to normal. Depending on the type of tumour the treatment can be by surgery, with medicines or a combination of both.
