Pituitary tumors are almost always benign growths on the pituitary gland, a hormone-secreting structure at the base of the brain. Often, pituitary tumors are treated with drug therapy or surgery. In rare cases, surgeons may not be to remove the entire tumor during surgery, drug therapy may fail, or the tumor may be inoperable. These cases may require radiation therapy following surgery, which involves administering a targeted dose of high radiation into the tumor. There are a number of adverse after-affects associated with radiation therapy for pituitary tumors.
Fatigue
A very prevalent effect of radiation therapy for pituitary tumors is fatigue, a constant feeling of tiredness that is not relieved by sleep. Fatigue can interfere with a patient's life if he does not have enough energy to carry out day-to-day activities. Fatigue can begin during treatment and can last for months for several months after treatment has ended. The National Brain Tumor Society reports that fatigue may be a result of injury to the brain due to pituitary tumor growth, or from damage due to the radiation, which is slow to heal. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and consulting with your doctor to determine the best method to treat sleep disturbances can help pituitary tumor patients manage fatigue while they heal.
Hypopituitarism
During radiation therapy, part of the pituitary gland is destroyed. The tumor itself leads to pituitary damage, and high-dose radiation as part of tumor therapy also damages neighboring healthy tissue. The end result is an abnormally small pituitary gland that may be unable to function as well as a normal gland. The consequence of this is a condition is called hypopituitarism, an under-active pituitary gland.
Patients with hypopituitarism as a result of radiation may suffer from infertility, sexual dysfunction, or an inability to lactate, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Patients with hypopituitarism may also suffer from abnormal thyroid function, which can lead to low blood pressure and low blood sugar. The treatment for hypopituitarism as a result of radiation therapy may include hormone replacement therapy.
Second Tumor Development
A potential after-effect of radiation therapy for a pituitary tumor is the development of other tumors in the future. Radiation therapy kills tumor cells by inducing massive DNA damage, which prevents the tumor cells from making the proteins needed to survive and grow. Although radiation therapy is targeted at the tumor, tissue surround the tumor also receives a dose of radiation and suffers DNA damage. This damage leads to genetic mutations, which can cause tumor or cancer development long after treatment. The IRSA, a part of the University of British Columbia indicates that advances in medical technology allowing more targeted radiation may decrease this after-effect in the future.
