Due to remarkable improvements in childhood cancer treatment and supportive care during the past several decades, 5-year survival rates for childhood cancer currently are >80%. However, by virtue of their disease and its treatments, childhood cancer survivors are at increased risk for a wide range of serious health conditions, including disorders of the endocrine system. Recent data indicate that 40% to 50% of survivors will develop an endocrine disorder during their lifetime. Risk factors for endocrine complications include both host (e.g., age, sex) and treatment factors (e.g., radiation). Radiation exposure to key endocrine organs (e.g., hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, and gonads) places cancer survivors at the highest risk of developing an endocrine abnormality over time; these endocrinopathies can develop decades following cancer treatment, underscoring the importance of lifelong surveillance. The following guideline addresses the diagnosis and treatment of hypothalamic-pituitary and growth disorders commonly encountered in childhood cancer survivors.
Reproductive health is a common concern and often a source of distress for male childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors. Clinical and epidemiologic research in survivor populations has identified alkylating agent chemotherapy, testicular radiation, and surgery or radiation to the genitourinary organs, lower spine, or the hypothalamic-pituitary region as risk factors for adverse reproductive outcomes, including impaired spermatogenesis, testosterone insufficiency, and sexual dysfunction. Much of the research on male survivors has focused on the outcome of fertility, using spermatogenesis, serum gonadotropins, and paternity as the measures. However, these studies often fail to account for the clinically relevant but difficult-to-quantify aspects of fertility such as sexual function, cancer-related delayed psychosocial development, medical comorbidities, and socioeconomic concerns. Clinical and basic science research has made significant contributions to improving reproductive outcomes for survivors, with recent advancements in the areas of fertility preservation, clinical assessment of reproductive function, and treatment of adverse reproductive outcomes. Furthermore, there is an emerging qualitative literature addressing the psychosexual aspects of male reproductive health, the clinical application of which will improve quality of life for survivors. This review summarizes the current survivorship literature on reproductive health outcomes for male survivors, including the epidemiology of impaired spermatogenesis, testosterone insufficiency, and sexual dysfunction; clinical and laboratory assessment of reproductive function; and established and investigational interventions to preserve reproductive function for patients newly diagnosed and survivors. Although survivorship research has made significant contributions to improving reproductive outcomes, additional scientific progress is needed in the areas of fertility preservation, risk assessment, and psychosexual support with the aim of optimizing reproductive health for current and future survivors.
Incremental improvements in the treatment of children and adolescents with cancer have led to 5-year survival rates reaching nearly 85%. In the past decade, impressive progress has been made in understanding the biology of many pediatric cancers. With that understanding, multiple new agents have become available that offer the promise of more-effective and less-toxic treatment. These include agents that target various cell surface antigens and engage the adaptive immune system, as well as those that interfere with key signaling pathways involved in tumor development and growth. For local control, surgery and radiation techniques also have evolved, becoming less invasive or featuring new techniques and particles that more precisely target the tumor and limit the dose to normal tissue. Nevertheless, targeted agents, like conventional chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, may have off-target effects and deserve long-term follow-up of their safety and efficacy. These include injury to the endocrine, cardiovascular, and immunologic systems. New radiation and surgical techniques that theoretically reduce morbidity and improve long-term quality of life must also be validated with actual patient outcomes. Finally, with advances in genomics, information on host susceptibility to late effects is beginning to emerge. Such knowledge, coupled with improved metrics that better describe the spectrum of potential late effects across the entire lifespan, can lead to the development of decision models that project the potential long-term health outcomes associated with various treatment and follow-up strategies. These developments will help extend the current focus on precision medicine to precision survivorship, where clinicians, patients, and families will have a better grasp of the potential risks, benefits, and tradeoffs associated with the growing number of cancer treatment options.
Growth hormone (GH) has been used for over 35 years, and its safety and efficacy has been studied extensively. Experimental studies showing the permissive role of GH/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) in carcinogenesis have raised concerns regarding the safety of GH replacement in children and adults who have received treatment for cancer and those with intracranial and pituitary tumours. A consensus statement was produced to guide decision-making on GH replacement in children and adult survivors of cancer, in those treated for intracranial and pituitary tumours and in patients with increased cancer risk. With the support of the European Society of Endocrinology, the Growth Hormone Research Society convened a Workshop, where 55 international key opinion leaders representing 10 professional societies were invited to participate. This consensus statement utilized: (1) a critical review paper produced before the Workshop, (2) five plenary talks, (3) evidence-based comments from four breakout groups, and (4) discussions during report-back sessions. Current evidence reviewed from the proceedings from the Workshop does not support an association between GH replacement and primary tumour or cancer recurrence. The effect of GH replacement on secondary neoplasia risk is minor compared to host- and tumour treatment-related factors. There is no evidence for an association between GH replacement and increased mortality from cancer amongst GH-deficient childhood cancer survivors. Patients with pituitary tumour or craniopharyngioma remnants receiving GH replacement do not need to be treated or monitored differently than those not receiving GH. GH replacement might be considered in GH-deficient adult cancer survivors in remission after careful individual risk/benefit analysis. In children with cancer predisposition syndromes, GH treatment is generally contraindicated but may be considered cautiously in select patients.
Objectives After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the pathophysiology of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). 2. Characterize the signs and symptoms of CAH. 3. Describe the appropriate laboratory evaluation of CAH. 4. Know that CAH can be diagnosed prenatally. 5. Recognize adrenal insufficiency by laboratory and clinical evaluation. 6. Anticipate and plan treatment for both acute adrenal crisis and long-term therapy for a patient who has CAH. 7. Discuss the value of newborn screening for salt-losing CAH in male infants.
Childhood cancer survivors are at increased risk for treatment-related late effects; data are lacking on how coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection impacts this cohort. We assessed COVID-19-related symptoms, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG seroprevalence, and rate of COVID-19-related hospitalization among 321 asymptomatic survivors of childhood cancer or transplantation seen for routine long-term follow-up between May and September 2020 in a New York City tertiary cancer center. While 10.9% (n = 35) reported possible COVID-19-related symptoms, 7.8% (n = 20) of those tested had positive SARS-CoV-2 IgG, and one patient (0.3%) required COVID-19-related hospitalization. This report suggests that childhood cancer survivors appear to be at relatively low risk for COVID-19 complications. K E Y W O R D S childhood cancer, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, survivors This retrospective review included all consecutive survivors seen in Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK)'s Pediatric LTFU Clinic between May 5 and September 10, 2020, which provides risk-based care to survivors of childhood cancer and HCT diagnosed at age ≤18 who are ≥1-year off-therapy at program entry.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.