Pituitary Gland Cancer

Pituitary Gland Cancer - Cancer that begins in the tissues of the pituitary gland (the main endocrine gland). The pituitary gland is a pea-sized organ at the base of the brain that produces hormones essential to growth and the functions of other glands in the body. There are more than a dozen different disorders that result from pituitary tumors and disease. Pituitary tumors can be functioning (those that make pituitary hormones) or nonfunctioning (those that do not make hormones). Almost all pituitary tumors are benign (noncancerous) glandular tumors called adenomas. Malignant (cancerous) pituitary tumors are rare and are called pituitary carcinomas.

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