Pituitary Tumor Care - Mayo Clinic

At Mayo Clinic, you’ll receive expert care delivered with compassion and designed with you in mind. Mayo Clinic is one of the leading pituitary centers in the U.S., and our experts evaluate and treat more than 1,600 people with pituitary tumors each year.

You’ll have an integrated team of specialists that includes:

Neurosurgeons who focus on pituitary tumors
Endocrinologists
Neuro-ophthalmologists
Otolaryngologists – sinus surgeons
Radiation oncologists
Neuroradiologists
Pituitary-Gonad-Adrenal (PGA) Specialty Group

We provide comprehensive consultation, diagnosis and condition management for people diagnosed with or suspected of having PGA-related disorders. The PGA specialty group includes experts in Cushing disease, acromegaly, treatment resistant prolactinomas, and other rare pituitary conditions. PGA experts provide an individualized and comprehensive postoperative management plan for patients undergoing pituitary surgery.

We care about what matters to you and will create a personalized plan to help you achieve your quality-of-life goals.

Our highly skilled experts have the experience to apply a variety of techniques and provide you with the right answer, the first time. If you still have questions about your diagnosis, our experts have answers. And when it comes to your pituitary brain tumor, we satisfy the only opinion that truly matters: yours. Getting a second opinion here may be your first chance at hope. Your team will work with you to determine the right approach or combination of approaches for you. These may include:

Endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal surgery to remove a tumor through the nose and sinuses without an external incision or visible scar. No other part of the brain is affected. This procedure usually reduces discomfort and length of hospital stay.
Transcranial surgery (craniotomy) to remove larger or more complicated tumors through the upper part of the skull via an incision in the scalp.
Radiation therapy, including proton beam therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery to precisely target a tumor with fewer side effects.
Medication therapy. Our endocrinologists are leaders in pituitary hormone replacement therapy and in medical management of hormone-producing pituitary tumors, such as prolactin-secreting tumors (prolactinomas), ACTH-producing tumors (Cushing syndrome), and growth hormone-secreting tumors.

Pituitary tumors often go undiagnosed because symptoms resemble those of other conditions. Testing may include blood and urine tests, CT and magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain, and vision testing.

In addition, Mayo Clinic’s team can perform advanced testing, including:

High-field, 7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to view pituitary tumors too small to detect with traditional MRI, as can occur with Cushing syndrome.
Sampling from the inferior petrosal sinus sinuses where the pituitary gland drains hormones into the bloodstream.
PET scanning for hard-to-find tumors.
Advanced intraoperative ultrasound and MRI.

Our multidisciplinary and patient-centered approach is designed to reduce surgical complications and shorten hospital stays. Approximately 82% of patients can go home the day after surgery.

A study published in April 2020 in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings found differences between Mayo Clinic's outcomes for pituitary surgery and compared them to outcomes reported in a multicenter study. Findings included significantly shorter operating times, shorter average hospital stage, and lower readmission rate 30 days after surgery. Moreover, Mayo Clinic surgeons focus on preserving nasal function following these minimally invasive transnasal approaches, allowing for quicker return of normal nasal airflow and sense of smell.

Mayo Clinic’s experts are constantly exploring new treatments and interventions to prevent, detect, treat, and manage pituitary tumors.

Mayo Clinic is top-ranked in more specialties than any other hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., are ranked among the Best Hospitals for diabetes and endocrinology by U.S. News & World Report.

Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota according to U.S. News & World Report's 2023-2024 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., are ranked among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz., is ranked highly performing for neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report.

Why Choose Mayo Clinic for Pituitary Tumor Care

As a neurosurgeon, if there was one surgery, I couldn't do, that would make me sad, it would be pituitary surgery. If there's only one surgery I could do for the rest of my life, it would be pituitary surgery. Pituitary tumor is a growth on the pituitary gland. That isn't a cancer. It doesn't go anywhere else, like people think about a breast growth or a lung growth. But what it does is it pushes on the pituitary gland and may cause that to not work. The truth is they're really well-managed with modern techniques. And most patients only need one episode of care to take care of them. They don't see these recur in the future and people do very well.

Mayo Clinic is one of the largest pituitary referral centers in the world. And we're used to seeing pituitary patients from all over the world and all over the country. And I think that gives you somewhat of an advantage in terms of the diversity of pituitary care that we offer. What makes us unique. So if it's pituitary surgery and the circumstance, that's what I do all the time. That's what the endocrinologist that you see does all the time. My colleagues in ENT, they do these approaches all the time. We're all talking before surgery so there's no surprises. There's multiple people involved in care and I think that ultimately leads to better intraoperative decision-making for that patient.

In addition to the care of the tumor itself, one of the things that we're very interested in is patient quality of life following this kind of surgery. These include things like endocrine dysfunction, things like feeling of malaise or tiredness as hormonal levels adjust following surgery, as well as things like nasal breathing and sense of smell, which are really vitally important to patients' joy and how they really get to experience and enjoy the things around them. We fully understand that most of our patients may be traveling for a great distance. A number of our follow-up visits after surgery can also be done via video visits or telemedicine. Patients may be able to receive imaging studies locally, had them sent for a view and then meet with us via video visits and where to review those things with them and ensure they're progressing well after surgery. I think what's most important for you as a patient. I want to take care of your problem so you get back to your normal life as it should be.

Experts in pituitary tumors, focused on you.

We’re with you every step of the way.

The right diagnosis, the first time.

Innovation leads to better outcomes.

Highly ranked care, with compassion.

When it's time to find answers, you know where to go.

Contact us to request an appointment.

Why Choose Mayo Clinic for Pituitary Tumor Care