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Radiation

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Radiation therapy is generally reserved for patients in whom both surgical and medical interventions have not provided biochemical control (1).

  • reduces growth hormone concentrations in 90% of patients

  • prevents regrowth of the tumour in 99%

  • possible complications include:
    • hypopituitarism:
      • commonest side effect
      • about half of patients may require replacement for adrenocorticotrophin hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, or gonadotrophin deficiency by 10 years
    • visual loss
    • brain necrosis
    • tumorigenesis

Notes:

  • stereotactic radiosurgery techniques have advantages over conventional fractionated radiotherapy
    • better targeting and reduced radiation exposure to surrounding tissue and shorter time to achieve control of IGF-1 and GH levels
    • extremely large tumor volumes or tumors near the chiasm are not amenable to radiosurgery - therefore such cases require fractionated radiotherapy
    • with either fractionated radiotherapy or radiosurgery
      • may take many years to achieve the full therapeutic effect and continued medical treatment will usually be needed.

Reference:


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