Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25605584›Full record

SynthesisPituitary2015

Quality of life (QoL) impairments in patients with a pituitary adenoma: a systematic review of QoL studies.

Cornelie D Andela, Margreet Scharloo, Alberto M Pereira, Ad A Kaptein, Nienke R Biermasz

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Pituitary, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
69citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

69 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Clinical characteristics associated with somaticFrontiers in endocrinology · 2026
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  19. Depression, anxiety, sexual function and quality of life in women with hyperprolactinemia.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2025
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9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Cornelie D AndelaDivision of Endocrinology and Center for Endocrine Tumors Leiden, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, c.d.andela@lumc.nl.
Margreet Scharloo
Alberto M Pereira
Ad A Kaptein
Nienke R Biermasz

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePituitary adenomas give rise to physical and psychological symptoms, which may persist after biochemical cure. Growing attention has been paid to quality of life (QoL) in these patients. We aimed to systematically analyze QoL assessment methods and QoL outcome in these patients.

methodsWe conducted a systematic literature search up to January 2014 in PubMed, Web of Knowledge, PsycInfo and EMBASE.

results102 papers assessing QoL in patients with a pituitary adenoma were included. In clinical (original) studies in which QoL was the primary outcome parameter (n = 54), 19 studies combined a generic questionnaire with a disease-specific questionnaire. QoL was found to be impaired in patients with active disease relative to controls, and generally improved during biochemical cure. However, no normalization occurred, with patients with remitted Cushing's disease demonstrating the smallest improvement. Somatic factors (e.g., hypopituitarism, sleep characteristics), psychological factors (illness perceptions) and health care environment (rural vs. urban) were identified as influencing factors. Intervention studies (predominantly evaluating medical interventions) have been found to improve QoL.

conclusionsThe growing number of studies assessing QoL generally described the negative impact of pituitary adenomas. QoL research in this patient group could be further elaborated by the development of disease-specific questionnaires for prolactinoma and non-functioning adenoma, consequent use of generic and disease-specific questionnaires and using a long-term (longitudinal) follow-up. Surgical and pharmacological interventions improve but not normalize QoL. We postulate that there might be margin for further improvement of QoL, for instance by using psychosocial interventions, in addition to optimal medical treatment.

Indexed as

Quality of LifeAdenomaCost of IllnessHumansPituitary NeoplasmsPrognosisRisk FactorsSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID25605584

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.