Risk factors for obesity in childhood survivors of suprasellar brain tumours: a retrospective study.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize postdiagnosis changes in body mass index (BMI) among childhood survivors of suprasellar brain tumours, and to determine the risk factors associated with obesity.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective analysis of 46 children (16 boys and 30 girls) with median (IQR) age of 7.49 (3.47-11.59) years at tumour diagnosis, and followed up for 3.93 (1.68-7.27) years. Survival analyses were used to identify risks of developing obesity.


RESULTS
There were no sex differences in age at tumour diagnosis, duration of follow-up, tumour types, endocrinopathies, treatment modalities or baseline BMI SDS. In the first year after tumour diagnosis, ΔBMI SDS (median; IQR) was greater in girls (1.32; 0.07-2.08) than in boys (0.48; -0.40 to 0.89) (p = 0.01). At diagnosis, 3/46 children (6%) were obese; this increased to 20/46 (43%) by last follow-up (p < 0.001) and was more common in girls (17/30; 57%) than in boys (3/16; 19%). Female gender (hazard ratio 5.0, 95% CI 1.2-21.7; p = 0.04) and greater than average baseline BMI (hazard ratio 4.7, 95% CI 1.1-20.8; p = 0.02) were risk factors for subsequent obesity.


CONCLUSIONS
Accurate prediction of obesity risk is important and would allow early targeted intervention in high-risk patients.
Lek
Ngee
N
Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge, UK.
Prentice
Philippa
P
Williams
Rachel M
RM
Ong
Ken K
KK
Burke
Gladstone Austin Amos
GA
Acerini
Carlo L
CL
D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003397:Craniopharyngioma / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D017741:Survivors