Reappraising the Role of Trans-Sphenoidal Surgery in Prolactin-Secreting Pituitary Tumors

Simple Summary: Prolactinomas constitute a subgroup of pituitary adenomas for which there are several treatment options. Dopamine agonists (DA), since their introduction, have shown a strong efficacy both in the control of hyperprolactinemia and of the significant volumetric reduction of prolactinomas, leading, in some cases, to a definitive cure. Trans-sphenoidal surgery (TSS) has been traditionally confined to a failure of medical therapy, pituitary apoplexy with neurological worsening, and prolactinomas with wide cystic components. Moreover, the recent technical innovations introduced in TSS and increasing experience of surgeons have allowed to achieve better results, such as complete tumor resection with lower complication rates. On these grounds, the authors reviewed the extensive institutional Prolactinomas case series over the last 25 years to analyze the role of TSS in the management of Prolactinomas, particularly in terms of the cure rate. Abstract: Background: Prolactinomas represent a unique challenge for endocrinologists and neurosurgeons. Considering recent innovations in surgical practice, the authors aimed to investigate the best management for prolactinomas. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional and monocentric study was designed. Consecutive patients affected by prolactinomas were enrolled if treated with a first-line treatment with a dopamine agonist (DA) or trans-sphenoidal surgery (TSS). Patients carried giant prolactinomas, and those with a follow-up <12 months were excluded. Results: Two hundred and fifty-nine patients were enrolled. The first treatment was DA for 140 patients and TS for 119 cases. One hundred and forty-six of 249 patients (58.6%) needed a second therapy. The mean follow-up was 102.2 months (12-438 months). Surgery highly impacted on the cure rate-in particular, in females (p = 0.0021) and in microprolactinomas (p = 0.0020). Considering the multivariate analysis, the female gender and surgical treatment in the course of the clinical history were the only independent positive predictors of a cure at the end of 5 years follow-up (p = 0.0016, p = 0.0005). The evaluation of serum prolactin (24 hours after TSS) revealed that 86.4% of patients with postoperative prolactin (PRL) <= 10 ng/mL were cured at the end of the follow-up (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: According to our experience, surgery allows a high cure rate of prolactinomas, particularly in females with microadenoma, with a good safety profile. TSS for prolactinomas should be considered as a concrete option, during the multidisciplinary evaluation, in centers of reference for pituitary diseases.

Automated summary

Surgery is shown to have a high cure rate for prolactinomas, especially in female patients with microadenomas. Surgical treatment and female gender are independent positive predictors of a cure at 5 years follow-up, and postoperative serum prolactin levels within 24 hours are crucial for predicting cure.