[Endocrine sequelae after treatment of pediatric cancer: From childhood to adulthood].

Endocrine sequelae are among the most frequently reported complications in childhood cancer survivors, affecting 40 to 60% of these patients during adult life. Most of these complications are the result of cranial radiation therapy for brain or facial tumor, lymphoma or leukemia. The present review describes the main endocrine disturbances observed in this population, including disorders of hypothalamic-pituitary axis, especially the frequently observed growth hormone deficiency and disorders of puberty, thyroid and parathyroid dysfunction, obesity and metabolic syndrome, alterations in glucose metabolism and decreased bone mineral density. Gonadal dysfunction is not described, since it is detailed in another chapter. During childhood, prompt diagnosis and management of endocrine complications allow improvement of final height outcome and body composition (lean body mass and bone mass), reducing morbidity and impaired quality of life later in adulthood. Risk of developing a second neoplasm after growth hormone therapy in cancer survivors is also addressed. Life-long follow-up and management of endocrine deficiencies are essential to reduce late morbidity especially cardiovascular risk, and to diagnose late-onset deficiencies as well as radiation-induced thyroid nodules and cancer.