The treatment of pituitary tumors depends on its volume and secretory patterns. For prolactinomas, the clinical treatment using dopaminergic agonists is now considered the first choice therapy, whereas for all other pituitary tumors the surgical treatment is still the initial approach. In acromegaly, however, the development of long-action somatostatin analogs has changed the management of this disease, and these drugs have also been considered as first-line therapy. Furthermore, ongoing research on more specific analogs for subtypes of somatostatin receptor and the recently developed GH receptor antagonist pegvisomant, will be new alternatives for acromegalic treatment. Regarding transphenoidal surgery and radiotherapy, new technologies are being developed in search for better results and minor complications. This article summarizes the current treatments and future perspectives, such as gene therapy, for the management of pituitary adenomas.
Pituitary neoplasms; Prolactinomas; Acromegaly; Somatostatin receptors; Dopaminergic agonists; Gene therapy
