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Growth impairment and gonadal axis abnormalities are common in survivors of paediatric brain tumours
Author(s) -
Pietilä Sari,
Mäkipernaa Anne,
Koivisto AnnaMaija,
Lenko Hanna L.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.13975
Subject(s) - medicine , growth hormone deficiency , short stature , pediatrics , hormone , endocrine system , radiation therapy , precocious puberty , chemotherapy , malignancy , delayed puberty , growth hormone treatment , endocrinology , growth hormone , physiology
Aim Childhood brain tumour survivors have a high risk of endocrine morbidity. This study evaluated the growth, pubertal development and gonadal function in survivors of childhood brain tumours and identified factors associated with the problems we observed. Methods The 52 subjects (52% male) were diagnosed in 1983–1997 and treated for brain tumours at Tampere University Hospital, Finland. They were followed up at a mean age of 14.2 (3.8–28.7) years, a mean of 7.5 (1.5–15.1) years after diagnosis. Results We found that 30 (58%) participants had a lower height standard deviation score at follow‐up than at diagnosis and short stature at follow‐up was associated with tumour malignancy (p = 0.005), radiotherapy (p = 0.004), chemotherapy (p = 0.024), growth hormone deficiency (p < 0.001), hypogonadism (p = 0.044) and delayed puberty (p = 0.021). We found that five needed sex hormones to induce puberty, one had precocious puberty, 12 (23%) had growth hormone deficiency and eight (22%) of the 36 pubertal or postpubertal patients had hypogonadism. Testicular volume was low in 83% of late or postpubertal male survivors. Conclusion Growth impairment, growth hormone deficiency and hypogonadism were common in childhood brain tumour survivors and low testicular volume was also common in male survivors. Lifelong annual follow‐up checks are indicated for survivors.