Growth impairment and gonadal axis abnormalities are common in survivors of paediatric brain tumours.

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.