title: Medical therapy of gonadotropin-producing and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas.
abstract: Clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas are one of the most common types of pituitary tumors. Unless they present with symptoms related to local mass effect, most tumors are detected incidentally when imaging studies are performed for other reasons. Although clinically nonfunctioning, most of these tumors have evidence, in vitro, of gonadotropin hormone or glycoprotein subunit production. The gonadotropins or their monomer submits rarely cause clinically identifiable effects. When these tumors present as macroadenomas, often with associated mass effect and hypopituitarism, primary therapy is neurosurgery. The role for medical therapy will be reviewed here.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Mansur E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Shomali
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Katznelson
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives
chemical_list: D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D006062:Gonadotropins; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013004:Somatostatin