Updates on Radiation Therapy for Pituitary Tumors Techniques and Prognosis

In summary, dogs and cats diagnosed with pituitary macrotumors are likely to benefit from radiation therapy. For dogs with tumors creating a mass effect and causing neurologic signs treatment with radiation therapy has the potential for a dramatic improvement in quality of life. For dogs with PDH, the literature is variable regarding response rates and duration with up to about a third of treatments having long-term endocrine control. For feline patients, radiation therapy appears to provide significant benefit with a potential increased benefit to the functional tumors that is not seen in dogs. Definitive intent fractionated protocols in dogs provide the longest survival times. The role of SRT remains open with alternative fractionation, and the use of increased margins is still being investigated. Side effect profiles in both dogs and cats appear minimal with corticosteroids helping reduce secondary edema in the short term.