Endocrine and metabolic disorders in young adult survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
BACKGROUND
Treatments of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), involving various combinations of chemotherapy (chemo), cranial irradiation (CI) and/or bone marrow transplantation after total body irradiation (BMT/TBI), are often successful but may have several long-term harmful effects.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate late endocrine and metabolic complications in adult survivors of childhood ALL and NHL, in relation with the different therapeutic schemes received.


METHODS
Endocrine and metabolic parameters were determined in 94 patients (48 men, mean age: 24 +/- 5 years) with a former childhood ALL (n = 78) or NHL (n = 16) and subgrouped according to their previous treatment: chemo only (group I; n = 44), chemo + CI (group II; n = 32) and chemo + BMT/TBI (group III; n = 18).


RESULTS
Severe GH deficiency (peak < 3.0 ng/ml after glucagon) was observed in 22% and 50% of patients of groups II and III, respectively, while hypothyroidism was mainly observed in group III (56%). Moreover, 83% of men developed hypogonadism after BMT/TBI, compared to 17% and 8% in groups I and II, respectively (P < 0.05), and all grafted women had ovarian failure, in contrast with other female patients in whom menarche had occurred spontaneously. Patients with BMT/TBI had also an adverse metabolic profile, with insulin resistance in 83% and dyslipidaemia in 61%.


CONCLUSIONS
This study reveals a high prevalence of endocrine and metabolic disorders in young adult survivors of childhood ALL or NHL, this frequency mainly depending on the treatment received. Treatment with BMT/TBI is the most detrimental and many of these patients will develop GHD, hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia.
Steffens
M
M
Divisions of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Cliniques Universitaires St Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Beauloye
V
V
Brichard
B
B
Robert
A
A
Alexopoulou
O
O
Vermylen
Ch
Ch
Maiter
D
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006066:Gonads / Q000502:physiology; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015995:Prevalence; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I