Final height in growth hormone-deficient childhood cancer survivors after growth hormone therapy

Benefits and risks evaluation of recombinant human growth hormone replacement therapy in children with GHD after craniopharyngioma surgery

OBJECTIVES

Childhood-onset craniopharyngiomas (CPs) have a high incidence of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) leading to growth failure and metabolic disorders. We aim to evaluate the benefits and risks of recombinant human growth hormone replacement therapy (GHRT) in postoperative children.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed auxological and metabolic parameters and adverse events before and after GHRT of 44 children after CP surgery.

RESULTS

The median duration of GHRT was 24 months (IQR, 12.5-36). Growth velocity (GV) increased significantly after different treatment duration (TD) compared with baseline (p<0.001) and attained the greatest GV of 12.06 ± 4.16 cm/year at TD6. The mean height standard deviation score (HtSDS) from -3.20 ± 1.16 at baseline improved significantly to -1.51 ± 1.32 at TD36 (p<0.001). There were significant increases in insulin-like growth factor-1 SDS (IGF-1SDS), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 SDS (IGFBP-3SDS), bone age (BA), and BA/chronological age (CA) (p<0.05). There was a significant reduction in waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), but there were no significant changes in weight SDS (WtSDS) or BMISDS. Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and the incidence of hypercholesterolemia decreased (p<0.05). Three patients (6.8%) had tumor recurrence after 15, 30, and 42 months, respectively. A patient had residual tumor enlargement after 3 months. There was no adverse influence on glucose metabolism or any severe adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

GHRT effectively accelerates GV, increases HtSDS, and improves lipid profiles without unfavorable effects on glucose metabolism. The benefits are clear and the risks of adverse events are low.

Pre- and postdiagnosis growth failure, adult short stature, and untreated growth hormone deficiency in radiotherapy-treated long-term survivors of childhood brain tumor

PURPOSE

Growth failure is common in radiotherapy-treated long-term survivors of pediatric brain tumors, but studies on longitudinal growth in this patient group are lacking. Here, the aim was to assess the changes in growth patterns before and after brain tumor diagnosis, the adult height, and the risk factors for compromised growth. The incidence and treatment practices of growth hormone deficiency were analyzed.

METHODS

A cohort of 73 survivors of childhood brain tumor (median age 27.2 years, range 16.2 to 43.8 years) was studied after a median follow-up period of 20.4 years from diagnosis (IQR 14.9 to 22.9 years). Patients were treated in five university hospitals in Finland between 1970 and 2008. Growth curves, final height, and patient- and disease-related risk factors for compromised growth during different growth periods were analyzed. Laboratory analyses for IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were performed at the follow-up.

RESULTS

Growth failure was evident at diagnosis, with a mean height decline of -0.6 SDS (standard deviation score) from birth (95% CI -1.15 to -0.05). Mean height SDS decline after the diagnosis was -1.09 SDS (95%CI -1.51 to -0.66). At follow-up, 37% of the study subjects (27/73) had true short stature (height < -2 SDS). The mean height deficit corrected for target height was -1.9 SDS (95% CI -1.45 to -2.40). Growth failure was associated with the age at diagnosis, corticosteroid dose, radiotherapy modality and mean dose of irradiation in the thalamic area. Low IGF-1 level (below -2.0 SDS) was found in 32% (23/72), and untreated growth hormone deficiency in 40% (29/72) of the subjects.

CONCLUSION

Longitudinal growth impairment was common in radiotherapy-treated survivors of childhood brain tumor, resulting in compromised adult height. Loss of growth potential was evident already at diagnosis and further accelerated by the treatments. At young adulthood, unrecognized growth hormone deficiency was common.

[Endocrine late-effects and bone mineral density after combined treatment of malignant brain tumors in childhood and adolescence]

Обоснование

Обоснование. Внедрение в клиническую практику стандартизированных протоколов комбинированного лечения онкологических заболеваний неизбежно приводит к развитию отдаленных последствий. Поскольку у лиц, излеченных в детском и подростковом возрасте, ожидаемая продолжительность жизни велика, своевременная диагностика и коррекция отдаленных последствий противоопухолевого лечения имеют даже большее значение, чем острые осложнения химиолучевой терапии.

Цель

Цель. Изучить распространенность эндокринных нарушений, оценить распространенность и степень снижения минеральной плотности костной ткани (МПК) у лиц, перенесших комбинированное лечение злокачественных опухолей головного мозга в детском и молодом возрасте.

Материалы и методы

Материалы и методы. Проведено ретроспективное исследование с участием 59 пациентов (31 мужчина; 28 женщин), перенесших в детском и молодом возрасте оперативное лечение злокачественной опухоли головного мозга с последующей лучевой терапией в объеме краниоспинального облучения в сочетании с полихимиотерапией или без нее. I группу составили 37 пациентов, которым комбинированное лечение проводилось в возрасте от 3 до 16 лет. Во II группу были включены 22 пациента, получившие лечение в возрасте от 16 до 38 лет.

Результаты

Результаты. Недостаточность соматотропного гормона по результатам пробы с инсулиновой гипогликемией выявлена у 48 пациентов (81%), вторичная надпочечниковая недостаточность — у 22 (37%). Большая часть обследованных (33 пациента (56%)) не достигли целевого роста. Лечение рекомбинантным гормоном роста (рГР) получили только 5 человек из I группы. Проведенный корреляционный анализ показал, что возраст на момент лечения — основной фактор, влияющий на конечный рост (r=0,619; p<0,001). Выявлена высокая частота развития гипотиреоза (n=39 (66%)), гипогонадизма (19 женщин; 17 мужчин). По результатам DXA снижение МПК ≤-2,0 SD по Z-критерию в поясничном отделе позвоночника выявлено у 35 из 59 обследованных (59%). МПК у пациентов I группы была значимо ниже по сравнению с пациентами, получившими лечение в более старшем возрасте (p<0,001). Обнаружена умеренная корреляция между МПК в поясничном отделе позвоночника на момент обследования и уровнем эстрадиола в крови у женщин (r=0,596; p<0,05) и тестостерона у мужчин (r=0,472; p<0,05). Выявлена прямая зависимость МПК от возраста на момент заболевания (r=0,781; p<0,01).

Заключение

Заключение. Полученные результаты свидетельствуют о необходимости ежегодного и пожизненного наблюдения пациентов после комбинированного лечения злокачественных опухолей головного мозга на предмет выявления отдаленных последствий лечения. Высокая распространенность остеопенических состояний определяет актуальность и необходимость проведения ранней диагностики для предотвращения дальнейшей потери костной массы, снижения прочности кости и риска переломов.

Late Effects After Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in ALL, Long-Term Follow-Up and Transition: A Step Into Adult Life

Haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) can be a curative treatment for children and adolescents with very-high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Improvements in supportive care and transplant techniques have led to increasing numbers of long-term survivors worldwide. However, conditioning regimens as well as transplant-related complications are associated with severe sequelae, impacting patients' quality of life. It is widely recognised that paediatric HSCT survivors must have timely access to life-long care and surveillance in order to prevent, ameliorate and manage all possible adverse late effects of HSCT. This is fundamentally important because it can both prevent ill health and optimise the quality and experience of survival following HSCT. Furthermore, it reduces the impact of preventable chronic illness on already under-resourced health services. In addition to late effects, survivors of paediatric ALL also have to deal with unique challenges associated with transition to adult services. In this review, we: (1) provide an overview of the potential late effects following HSCT for ALL in childhood and adolescence; (2) focus on the unique challenges of transition from paediatric care to adult services; and (3) provide a framework for long-term surveillance and medical care for survivors of paediatric ALL who have undergone HSCT.

Hormonal replacement therapy in adolescents and young women with chemo- or radio-induced premature ovarian insufficiency: Practical recommendations

In women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), hormonal therapy (HT) is indicated to decrease the risk of morbidity and to treat symptoms related to prolonged hypoestrogenism. While general recommendations for the management of HT in adults with POI have been published, no systematic suggestions focused on girls, adolescents and young women with POI following gonadotoxic treatments (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stem cell transplantation) administered for pediatric cancer are available. In order to highlight the challenging issues specifically involving this cohort of patients and to provide clinicians with the proposal of practical therapeutic protocol, we revised the available literature in the light of the shared experience of a multidisciplinary team of pediatric oncologists, gynecologists and endocrinologists. We hereby present the proposals of a practical scheme to induce puberty in prepubertal girls and a decisional algorithm that should guide the clinician in approaching HT in post-pubertal adolescents and young women with iatrogenic POI.