Could a short, High-Dose drug course cure small pituitary tumors?
NCT ID NCT07463235
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a higher dose of the drug cabergoline, taken for about 6 months, can achieve lasting remission in women with small prolactinomas (non-cancerous pituitary tumors that cause excess prolactin). 70 premenopausal women will be randomly assigned to either the high-dose short course or standard long-term low-dose treatment. The goal is to see if the high-dose approach leads to normal prolactin levels for at least a year after stopping the drug, potentially avoiding years of daily medication.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Cabergoline (a drug that lowers prolactin levels)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a shorter, more effective treatment course for small prolactinomas, potentially allowing women to stop medication sooner without the tumor returning.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-phase trial (70 participants) and the high dose may cause more side effects. Remission may not be permanent, and results may not apply to all patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 1\. Willing and able to provide written informed consent prior to any study-related procedures * 2\. Adults \>18 years old * 3\. Pre-menopausal women * 4\. Presence of signs and symptoms matching prolactinoma * 5\. Hyperprolactinemia, defined as a prolactin (PRL) level ≥2 times the local laboratory maximum level of normality, present at the time of enrolment * 6\. Presence of an identifiable pituitary mass on MRI with a maximum diameter of less than 1cm, independently of Knosp/invasiveness of the cavernous sinus * 7\. Treatment naïve * 8\. Females who engage in heterosexual intercourse must agree to use either a highly effective or a clinically acceptable method of contraception from the beginning of screening to the last study visit, which will include: * Hysterectomy or bilateral salpingectomy * Bilateral tubal occlusion or ligation * Vasectomized partner * Intrauterine device (copper or hormonal) * Progestogen-only contraception (oral, injectable or implantable) * Male or female condom with or without spermicide * Sexual abstinence (only when it is the usual and preferred lifestyle of the subject) Exclusion Criteria: * 1\. History of primary hyperparathyroidism * 2\. Use of combined hormonal contraceptive within the past 4 weeks * 3\. Pregnancy or current pregnancy desire * 4\. Prolactinoma associated with a known genetic syndrome * 5\. Familial history of pituitary adenoma * 6\. Renal failure (estimated glomerular filtration rate \<30 mL/min /1.73m2) * 7\. IGF-1 level above the age-adjusted normal range of the local laboratory (IGF 1 \>1x ULNR) * 8\. Idiopathic hyperprolactinemia (normal MRI) or presence of macroprolactinemia * 9\. Concomitant mental condition rendering her unable to understand the nature, scope, and possible consequences of the study, and/or decompensated psychiatric disease (i.e. gambling or severe obsessive-compulsive disorder), as judged by the Investigator * 10\. Chronic use of drugs related to hyperprolactinemia (such as metoclopramide, methyldopa, ranitidine, and opioid-related analgesics) * 11\. Resistant prolactinoma, defined as non-normalization of PRL levels with 2mg/w of CAB * 12\. Patients in the high dosage group who did not use 3.5mg/w of CAB for an entire 6 months (due to intolerance or non-compliance) or failed to achieve the target dose for any other reason * 13\. Active malignant disease within the last 5 years, except basal and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin with complete local excision * 14\. Any decompensated chronic condition (i.e. heart failure NYHA 3-4, diabetes with HbA1c \>8.5%, hypothyroidism with TSH \>10 mIU/L) that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would impede compliance, hinder completion of the study, compromise the well-being of the patient, or interfere with the study outcomes * 15\. Male sex * 16\. Cushing stigmas (moon face, muscle weakness, red striation) or suspicious * 17\. Prior radiotherapy of the pituitary gland area for any reason * 18\. Additional pituitary tumor-directed therapy, including temozolomide, everolimus, lapatinib, or cytotoxic chemotherapy * 19\. Hepatopathy with AST/TGO or ALT/TGP \>3x the upper limit of normality
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
15 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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CPC
RECRUITINGPonta Grossa, Brazil
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HCFMUSP
RECRUITINGSão Paulo, Brazil
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HCPA
COMPLETEDPorto Alegre, Brazil
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Hospital Moinhos de Vento
RECRUITINGPorto Alegre, Brazil
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Sta Casa-RS
RECRUITINGPorto Alegre, Brazil
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Sta Casa-SP
RECRUITINGSão Paulo, Brazil
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UFG
RECRUITINGGoiânia, Brazil
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UFMG
RECRUITINGBelo Horizonte, Brazil
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UFPE
RECRUITINGRecife, Brazil
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UFPR
RECRUITINGCuritiba, Brazil
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UFRJ
RECRUITINGRio de Janeiro, Brazil
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UNB
RECRUITINGBrasília, Brazil
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USP-RP
RECRUITINGRibeirão Preto, Brazil
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Unesp
RECRUITINGBotucatu, Brazil
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Unicamp
RECRUITINGCampinas, Brazil
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Unifesp
RECRUITINGSão Paulo, Brazil
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Scientists hunt for hidden genes behind pituitary tumors
- New scan could spot invisible brain tumors
- New hope for patients with hard-to-treat pituitary tumors
- New survey aims to better measure life quality in pituitary tumor patients
- What do patients and doctors really think about prolactinoma care?
- Could estrogen exposure explain why some pituitary tumors grow larger?