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Dopamine Agonist Treatment of Non-functioning Pituitary Adenomas

Dopamine Agonist Treatment of Non-functioning Pituitary Adenomas (NFPAs) - a Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02288962
Enrollment
60
Registered
2014-11-13
Start date
2014-11-01
Completion date
2028-12-01
Last updated
2026-07-21

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Adenoma, Pituitary Neoplasms

Keywords

dopamine agonists, cabergoline

Brief summary

Due to lack of hormone overproduction in non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs), only the symptomatic adenomas or large adenomas with proven growth and risk for symptoms in near future will undergo pituitary surgery. The remaining adenomas are monitored regularly. Operation of these large adenomas will rarely remove all tumour tissue, and there is also a risk of worsening of pituitary function. Often, adenomas with the highest growth potential are operated several times and some also need radiation therapy, providing additional risk for pituitary failure. Unlike some of the hormone-producing adenomas, there is no established pharmacological treatment for NFPAs. However, there are a few non-randomized studies suggesting that treatment with dopamine agonists may slow growth, and also induce tumour shrinkage. At present, cabergoline is the dopamine agonist most widely used in the treatment of pituitary adenomas secreting prolactin. Aim is to study the effect of medical treatment with cabergoline in non-functioning pituitary adenomas on the change in tumour volume.

Interventions

DRUGcabergoline

Sponsors

St. Olavs Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* A previously untreated non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma (largest diameter ≥ 10 mm) with either demonstrated growth on repeated MRI scans or ≤ 2 mm distance to chiasma opticum, or: * a residual non-functioning pituitary adenoma after surgery (largest diameter ≥ 5 mm) that is either extrasellar and/or with documented growth after surgical treatment of a non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma

Exclusion criteria

* Clear indication for surgery at the time of inclusion * Previous radiation therapy * Pituitary surgery the last 6 months * Previous apoplexy/bleeding in the adenoma * Pregnancy or lactation * Contraindications for cabergoline treatment (Known cardiac valvular disease, known pulmonal, pericardial or retroperitoneal fibrosis, clinical significant liver insufficiency, use of medications that interact with cabergoline * unfit to participate due to any other reason

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
change in tumour volume during the main study of two years2 yearsThis includes the percentage and absolute change in tumour volume, but also the number of patients with significant tumour shrinkage or tumour growth (defined by ≥ 10 % or ≥ 2 mm shrinkage/growth in at least one dimension)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
need for surgical and/or radiation treatmentup till 2 years
changed pituitary functionup till 2 yearsmeasured by analysis of blood tests, basal and stimulation tests
change in tumour's distance to chiasma opticum in mmup till 2 yearsas measured by analysis of MRI images
development of cardiac valvulopathyup till 2 yearsas measured by analysis of echo cardiography
impulse control disorderup till 2 yearsas measured by questionnaire visual files: clinical evaluation by ophthalmologist and perimetry

Countries

Norway, Sweden

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSven M Carlsen, prof md

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jul 22, 2026