Radiotherapy for Acromegaly | Treatment

When surgery for acromegaly is not possible, or if not all the tumour was able to be removed and drug treatment is not working, your doctor may recommend radiotherapy.1

There are different types of radiotherapy, but they all work to destroy the cells of the tumour, reducing the levels of growth hormone being produced.1

Because the effects of radiotherapy happen very slowly, it will also take longer for you to notice improvements in your symptoms than after surgery or with medicines. In the meantime, you may have drug therapy as well to reduce your hormone levels.1

Radiotherapy, like other treatments, can have side-effects. The radiation used to kill the tumour may also affect the normal pituitary gland and the other hormones that it produces. However, hormone replacement therapy can be used to treat this.1

REFERENCES:

The Pituitary Society. Treatment of acromegaly. Available at:
https://www.pituitarysociety.org/patient-education/pituitary-disorders/acromegaly/treatment-of-acromegaly Last accessed September 2020.