title: Radiation-induced growth hormone deficiency.
abstract: Deficiency of one or more anterior pituitary hormones may follow treatment with external irradiation when the hypothalamic-pituitary axis falls within the fields of irradiation. Hypopituitarism occurs in patients who receive radiation therapy for pituitary tumours, nasopharyngeal cancer and primary brain tumours, as well as in children who undergo prophylactic cranial irradiation for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, or total body irradiation for a variety of tumours and other diseases. The degree of pituitary hormonal deficit is related to the radiation dose received by the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Thus, after lower radiation doses isolated growth hormone deficiency ensues, whilst higher doses may produce hypopituitarism. The timing of onset of the radiation-induced pituitary hormone deficit is also dose-dependent. The main site of radiation damage is the hypothalamus rather than the pituitary, although the latter may be affected directly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Darzy
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Shalet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000528:radiation effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011627:Puberty / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000145:classification
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone