Question

A patient with a pituitary tumor that overproduced growth hormone underwent surgical removal of the tumor. The resection was found to be incomplete. What is the first-line treatment for this patient?

• A. Leuprolide
• B. Goserelin
• C. Nafarelin
• D. Octreotide

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

The patient in question has a pituitary tumor leading to excess production of growth hormone. After surgical removal, it has been determined that the resection was incomplete, indicating residual tumor activity that requires further intervention. In such scenarios, the first-line treatment to manage excess growth hormone production is the use of somatostatin analogs. Octreotide is a synthetic somatostatin analog that acts by inhibiting the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. It is specifically effective due to its ability to reduce growth hormone levels and is commonly used when surgery does not completely remove the tumor. Thus, given the options:

Leuprolide	A gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist, not typically used for growth hormone management.
Goserelin	Another gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist with uses similar to Leuprolide.
Nafarelin	Similar in function to the above but not standard for this condition.
Octreotide	Correct choice, a somatostatin analog effective in reducing growth hormone levels.

Thus, for this patient, Octreotide is the appropriate first-line treatment after incomplete surgical resection of a growth hormone-secreting pituitary tumor.