Pituitary Disorders Treatments

“Here special treatments are created and routinely performed. When routine therapies stop working, you have options here that you don't elsewhere.”
Mike Chen, M.D., neurosurgeon

 

City of Hope’s approach to treating pituitary disorders starts with a coordinated, multidisciplinary care team whose main goal is finding a treatment plan that extends your life. We combine leading-edge technologies  like minimally invasive surgery and the latest radiological approaches  with research and clinical trials not found anywhere else.

Our treatment approach involves

  • An initial consultation with an experienced pituitary disorder experts, providing accurate diagnosis, followed by a personalized treatment strategy
  • Input from experts in various subspecialties at every stage of your treatment
  • A treatment plan that evolves as new treatments and clinical trials become available
  • Drug and hormone therapy to control irregular hormone production
  • Palliative care, pain management and counseling

Minimally Invasive Procedures for Pituitary Tumors

City of Hope’s neurosurgeons specialize in using minimally invasive procedures whenever possible. By using fewer incisions, our surgeons can extract the tumor with minimal impact to surrounding healthy brain tissue. Minimally invasive procedures used at City of Hope include:

  • Intraoperative cortical mapping, which gives the surgeon a computerized map of key brain regions. By avoiding critical areas, the risk of damage to brain tissue is minimized while still allowing the tumor to be removed.
  • Image-guided surgical navigation, which helps to remove tumors that are difficult to visualize, by using preoperative MRIs.
  • Endoscopic surgery, performed through an endoscope — a thin, lighted tube with a small opening that accommodates tiny surgical tools. Smaller incisions reduce pain and the risk of infection.

City of Hope researchers are also developing a miniaturized surgical system to allow brain surgeries to be even less invasive, with an even lower risk of complications.

Comprehensive Care

City of Hope is one of only a few dozen centers in the country that treat pituitary disorders using a comprehensive approach. Your care includes regular interaction and input from a team that includes neurosurgeons, endocrinologists, radiologists and pathologists — along with researchers who collaborate with clinical staff regularly to quickly bring potential therapies from the lab to patients.