Transsphenoidal hypophysectomy in the treatment of metastatic breast and prostate carcinoma.

The cases of 70 consecutive patients having a transsphenoidal hypophysectomy for metastatic carcinoma of the breast or prostate are reviewed. In half of the patients with cancer of the breast an objective remission was obtained. In 30 percent of the patients with cancer of the prostate there were objective signs of tumor regression and in 75 percent there was relief of pain. The operative mortality was 1.4 percent and the morbidity of the procedure was gratifyingly small. There is some indication that hypophysectomy may be preferred to adrenalectomy in patients with hormone-responsive metastatic mammary cancer.