Does Growth Hormone Therapy Enlarge Pituitary Adenomas

Abstract

Objective: Pituitary adenomas are detected incidentally in some cases of childhood growth hormone deficiency. Growth hormones may affect tumor growth. This study analyzed the reliability of growth hormone therapy in patients with non-functioning pituitary adenomas. Methods: The study group included 16 hypopituitary patients with incidentally detected non-functioning pituitary adenoma and treated with recombinant growth hormone. Age- and sex-matched 16 healthy children with incidental pituitary adenoma detected during investigation of chronic headache were selected as the control group. The data of the two groups were retrospectively reviewed and compared regarding the change in adenoma size over time. Results: Changes in adenoma size in the patient and control groups were -0.1 (-0.8-0.3) mm and -0.1 (-0.5-0.3) mm, respectively (p=0.664). Adenoma size growth was detected in 3 patients in the patient group and 5 patients in the control group (p=0.685). Conclusion: Our data suggest that recombinant growth hormone therapy does not produce pituitary adenomas, and thus its use is safe in growth hormone deficient children with incidentally detected non-functioning pituitary adenomas. © Copyright 2022 by Medical Journal of Bakırköy published by Galenos Yayınevi.