Can craniopharyngioma be cured?

If a tumor grows inside a person's brain, this is a very serious situation, because most intracranial brain tumors will compress the intracranial nerves and cause some intracranial conditions. Craniopharyngioma is a tumor that grows inside the brain. It is a common congenital tumor because it is an embryonic remnant tumor. So if you find out that your baby has craniopharyngioma, can this disease be cured through surgery?

After craniopharyngioma surgery, the functions of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland are severely damaged. Therefore, long-term and serious treatment is required. Patients should pay attention to the following during diagnosis and treatment:

The tumor is benign and if removed completely, most patients (80%) will not have a recurrence after surgery. Therefore, within 3 years after surgery, MR should be reviewed every 6-12 months; 3-10 years after surgery, MR should be reviewed every 1-2 years. Ten years after surgery, MRI should be reviewed every three years; if recurrence occurs, the original surgeon should be consulted for further consultation on the possibility of another surgery or radiotherapy;

All anterior pituitary hormones need to be supplemented, including thyroid hormone (Euthyrox, once a day, 50-75ug each time); adrenal cortical hormone (prednisone, once a day, 1.25mg-5mg each time); in stressful conditions (such as cold, fever, surgery), the dose of prednisone can be increased to 3 times a day, 5mg each time. Sex hormones (women supplement estrogen and progesterone to maintain artificial cycles; men supplement androgens); after supplementing sex hormones, both men and women can have a good sex life.

If you want to have a better quality of life, you should supplement with growth hormone (1U of growth hormone injected subcutaneously every day. For the benefits and risks of the drug, please see my popular science article "Growth Hormone Treatment for Adults"); supplementation will have obvious benefits on mood, body metabolism and bones. It has nothing to do with whether the tumor recurs.

If female patients have fertility needs, they should go to a gynecological endocrinology department (or assisted reproductive center) for treatment, receive gonadotropin treatment, and ovulate and become pregnant under the guidance of a doctor. Male patients can be treated with gonadotropin (2000U of chorionic gonadotropin + 75U of urinary gonadotropin, intramuscular injection, twice a week). The treatment time is 12-24 months, and the success rate of sperm production is close to 99%. There are large differences in therapeutic efficacy between individuals. Generally speaking, patients with larger testicles will produce more sperm after treatment. If sperm is produced, you can make your lover pregnant naturally or through in vitro fertilization.

Treatment of central diabetes insipidus: 99% of patients have concurrent central diabetes insipidus, which manifests as increased frequency of nocturia and elevated blood sodium. The patient should take Mining treatment at a dosage of 50-100ug (equivalent to half a tablet or a tablet) 1-3 times a day. At the same time, the daily water intake should be fixed. For example, tentatively set at 3000ml per day. Then gradually adjust the amount of water you drink based on your blood sodium level. If central diabetes insipidus is not treated for a long time, it may lead to excessive water loss in the body and cause chronic renal failure.

Patients often have symptoms of obesity, so they need to strictly control their diet, eat as little as possible, and avoid excessive obesity. The main reasons for obesity in these patients are as follows: (1) Failure to adequately supplement thyroid hormone; (2) Failure to receive growth hormone supplementation; (3) Damage to the hypothalamic satiety center, which causes the patient to not feel full and therefore overeat; and (4) A significant reduction in outdoor activities due to damage to the hypothalamus. (5) Excessive glucocorticoid use (e.g., excessive dose of prednisone).

Damage to the hypothalamus can cause abnormalities in the regulation of sleep, mood, sweating, appetite, body temperature, taste, etc. Therefore, the patient's risk of unexpected death will also increase.

Patients often have osteoporosis and therefore require long-term calcium supplementation. Calcium carbonate D3 tablets, one tablet per day; at the same time, supplement calcitriol once a day, one tablet each time (or other vitamin D drugs are also acceptable). Check bone density every 2-3 years to see if it improves.

Within 2 years after surgery, follow-up visits are conducted every 3-6 months; after 2 years, when the treatment status is stable, follow-up visits are conducted every 6-12 months. Remember each of your medications and tell your doctor the name and exact dosage of each medication at each visit so that your doctor can help you adjust the dosage. At the same time, tell your doctor the total amount of water you drink and urine volume in 24 hours in the past week.