Precocious puberty secondary to cranial irradiation for tumors distant from the hypothalamo-pituitary area.
This retrospective study is the first report of the occurrence of central precocious puberty in 6 children having received cranial irradiation. Pubertal development took place at a mean age of 7 5/12 years (6 10/12-7 10/12 years in 5 girls and at 9 years in 1 boy). They had received 2,400-4,500 rad at a mean age of 5 2/12 years. In addition, 5 children had GH deficiency so that their growth spurt was blunted and 3 of them were left with an extremely short stature. This condition would require a therapeutic approach combining the use of an LHRH analogue and hGH therapy when necessary in order to protect from too rapidly progressing bone maturation.
D000293:Adolescent; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton; D001827:Body Height; D001921:Brain / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002648:Child; D004702:Endocrine Glands / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011629:Puberty, Precocious / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors