How well nose surgery works when a pituitary tumor comes back or was not fully removed
Original title: Endoscopic endonasal approach for recurrent or residual pituitary neuroendocrine tumors.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This surgery is already used today, and this study looked back at how it went for past patients.
The short version
Doctors looked back at 152 people who had a second surgery through the nose for a pituitary tumor.
What was studied. Doctors reviewed the records of 152 people at one hospital. Each person had a pituitary tumor that came back or was not fully removed the first time, and each had surgery through the nose to take it out.
What they found. Doctors removed the whole tumor in 105 patients (69.1%). Vision problems got better in 74 of 102 patients who had them. Some people had problems after surgery, such as hormone problems in 12 patients and infection in 5 patients. Tumors with a Knosp grade of 3-4 were much harder to remove fully.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: If your pituitary tumor comes back, another surgery through the nose may be a choice. It removed the whole tumor for many people in this group. Serious problems after surgery were not common. Your doctor may look closely at how far the tumor has spread before surgery. This helps them plan.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the surgery will work for everyone. The study only looked back at past patients from one hospital. These patients were carefully picked as good fits for surgery. Tumors that had spread more were often not fully removed. This surgery is not a cure, and a tumor may still come back.
Source: PubMed, September 18, 2026 · Read the original
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