Pituitary gland Archives

Tag: Pituitary gland

A pea-sized organ attached to the part of the brain called the hypothalamus. It lies at the base of the brain above the back of the nose. The hypothalamus sends signals to the pituitary gland, which then makes hormones that control other glands and many of the body’s functions, including growth and fertility.

21 Nov 2024

By Ronny Allan

6 Comments

A spotlight on Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN)

Awareness, Living with Neuroendocrine CancerCDKN1B, Endocrine, Familial medullary thyroid cancer (FMTC), Genetics, Hereditary cancer syndrome, MEN1 syndrome, MEN2 syndrome, MEN2A syndrome, MEN2B syndrome, MEN4 syndrome, MEN5 syndrome, MENX, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN), Neuroendocrine, Paraganglioma, Parathyroid gland, Pheochromocytoma, Pituitary gland

First published 2015, updated for 2025. Overview We all know that Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs) and their syndromes are complex but there is even more complexity to be found in a group of related disorders known as Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN). I recommend all NET patients should try to understand the basics of MEN and vice versa, particularly as both conditions seem to come with a plethora of endocrine-related effects. MEN patients will normally have a tumour in at least two endocrine glands - thus the terms 'Multiple' and 'Endocrine' (tumours can also develop in other organs and tissues). Neoplasia is…

22 Sep 2024

By Ronny Allan

9 Comments

Don’t be underactive with your Thyroid surveillance

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship, TreatmentConstipation, Depression, Dry skin, Fatigue, Goitre, Graves’ disease, Hashimoto's disease, Heat intolerance, Hormones, Hyperthryroidism, Hypothyroidism, Lanreotide, Levothyroxine, NET syndromes, Neuroendocrine, Neuroendocrine cancer, Neuroendocrine tumour (NET), Octreotide, Palpitation, Pituitary gland, Quality of LIfe (QoL), Radioactive iodine, Somatostatin analogues, Sweating, Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), Thyroiditis, Thyroxine (T4), Triiodothyronine (T3)

From other posts, you'll be aware of the thyroid lesion (approx. 17 x 19mm) which I've been tracking since 2013. The surveillance included routine thyroid blood tests, mainly TSH, T3 and 4. I was out of range in TSH (elevated) but the T4 was at the lower end of the normal range. On 20 March 2018, following an Endocrine appointment, I was put on a trial dose of 50mcg of Levothyroxine to counter the downwards trend in results indicating hypothyroidism, possibly due to the lesion. Levothyroxine is a thyroid hormone (thyroxine) replacement. One month after taking these drugs, my thyroid…

14 Jun 2024

By Ronny Allan

16 Comments

The Syndromes of Neuroendocrine Cancer – Early Signs of a Late Diagnosis

A spotlight on NENs - Syndromes, Awareness5-HIAA, Achlorhydria, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), Alcohol, Angioma, Carcinoid crisis, Carcinoid heart disease, Carcinoid syndrome, Carcinoid tumour, Carney-Stratakis syndrome (CSS), Cerebellum, Cushing's disease, Cushing's syndrome, Dermatitis, Diet, Familial medullary thyroid cancer (FMTC), Fat malabsorption, Functional tumour, Gastrinoma, Glucagon, Glucagonoma, Haemangioblastoma, Hedinger syndrome, Hereditary pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma syndromes, Hypercalcemia, Hypercortisolism, Hypokalemia, Insulinoma, Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), MEN1 syndrome, MEN2 syndrome, MEN2A syndrome, MEN2B syndrome, NET syndromes, Neuroendocrine cancer, Non-functional tumour, Paraganglioma, Paraneoplastic syndromes, Pheochromocytoma, Pituitary gland, PPoma, SDHA, SDHAF2, SDHB, SDHC, Somatostatin analogues, Somatostatinoma, Surgery, Sweet's syndrome, The 5 E's, Verner-Morrison syndrome, VIPoma, Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) Syndrome, Von Recklinghausen's disease, Wermer syndrome, Whipple's triad

There are some curious things about Neuroendocrine Cancer (NETs elsewhere in the text on the basis that a hormonal syndrome is extremely rare in Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (NEC)). One of them is that it can very often exhibit one or more vague symptoms collectively known as a 'syndrome'. Syndrome is an apt word to describe these complications as the most general meaning in medical terms is a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder or disease". Having a syndrome can often be the difference between having a 'functional' condition or a non-functional' condition. This frequently makes NET …