title: Growth impairment after TBI of leukemia survivors children: a model- based investigation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children receiving Total Body Irradiation (TBI) in preparation for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) are at risk for Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD), which sometimes severely compromises their Final Height (FH). To better represent the impact of such therapies on growth we apply a mathematical model, which accounts both for the gompertzian-like growth trend and the hormone-related 'spurts', and evaluate how the parameter values estimated on the children undergoing TBI differ from those of the matched normal population.
  
  
  METHODS
  25 patients long-term childhood lymphoblastic and myeloid acute leukaemia survivors followed at Pediatric Onco-Hematology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Division, Regina Margherita Children's Hospital (Turin, Italy) were retrospectively analysed for assessing the influence of TBI on their longitudinal growth and for validating a new method to estimate the GH therapy effects. Six were treated with GH therapy after a GHD diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We show that when TBI was performed before puberty overall growth and pubertal duration were significantly impaired, but such growth limitations were completely reverted in the small sample (6 over 25) of children who underwent GH replacement therapies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since in principle the model could account for any additional growth 'spurt' induced by therapy, it may become a useful 'simulation' tool for paediatricians for comparing the predicted therapy effectiveness depending on its timing and dosage.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Onco-Hematology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Division, Regina Margherita Children's Hospital, piazza Polonia 94, 10126 Turin, Italy. chiara_galletto@libero.it.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galletto
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gliozzi
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nucera
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bertorello
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biasin
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corrias
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chiabotto
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fagioli
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guiot
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000528:radiation effects*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation