About 7,000 pituitary tumors are diagnosed each year in the United States. Almost all of these tumors are benign adenomas. Very few pituitary tumors are cancers.
But the number of pituitary tumors that are diagnosed may be much lower than their actual number. By examining people who have died or who have had imaging tests (like MRI scans) of their brain for other health problems, doctors have found that as many as 1 out of 4 of people may have a pituitary adenoma without knowing it. These tumors are often small and never cause any symptoms or health problems, so very few of them would normally be diagnosed at all.
Pituitary tumors can occur at any age (including in children), but they are most often found in older adults.
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