Signs of confusion and dementia after radiotherapy for acromegly. What's the mortality rate ?
Patient: I have a sister who had acromegly, which was undiagnosed for many years. She eventually had an operation to remove the tumour. And, had radiotherapy as all the tumour had not been removed. Over the last couple of years she has slowed down a lot and, has shown signs of confusion and what seems to be dementia . She is on lots of medication. Do we know the prognosis and mortality rate for my sister. She is 68 now and, it s about 20 years ago since acromegly was discovered. Concerned sister AAAA Doctor: Hi,  Thank you for posting your query.  The prognosis of a benign tumor of pituitary is quite good. So, if you have gone through the biopsy report of the tumor, and it is benign, then the chances of long term survival is quite good.  There could be mild decline in her memory and cognitive functions due to her tumor and radiotherapy. However, we should investigate whether she has any other reasons for the same. This would include checking for vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid dysfunction, etc.  Proper treatment of her dementia would help her recover to an extent.  Best wishes, Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology) Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad