Smoking before pituitary tumor surgery was linked to more problems afterward
Original title: Impact of preoperative smoking on outcomes of endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary tumor.
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 was a look back at records of people who already had surgery, not a test of a new treatment.
The short version
People who smoked before pituitary tumor surgery had more problems after it than people who did not smoke.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at health records of adults who had a pituitary tumor removed through the nose between 2005 and 2024. They started with 11,472 patients. Then they matched 1623 people who smoked in the six months before surgery with 1623 similar people who did not smoke. The average age at surgery was 50.9 years.
What they found. The smokers had more leaks of the fluid that surrounds the brain. They also had more meningitis, which is an infection of the lining around the brain. Smokers more often had hormone problems after surgery, and more of them needed hormone medicine or steroids.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: If you smoke and you are facing this surgery, your chance of these problems may be higher. It is worth asking your surgeon about quitting before the operation, and what help is available.
What it doesn't mean: This does not prove that smoking caused the problems. It was a look back at old health records, not a trial. It cannot tell you how much your own risk would drop if you quit. It is not a new treatment, and it is not a cure for a pituitary tumor.
Source: PubMed, July 13, 2026 · Read the original
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