Endocrine Disorder in Patients With Craniopharyngioma

Abstract

Craniopharyngioma is an intracranial congenital epithelial tumor growing along the pathway of the embryonic craniopharyngeal tube. The main clinical symptoms of patients with craniopharyngioma include high intracranial pressure, visual field defect, endocrine dysfunction, and hypothalamic dysfunction. At present, the preferred treatment remains the surgical treatment, but the recovery of endocrine and hypothalamic function following surgery is limited. In addition, endocrine disorders often emerge following surgery, which seriously reduces the quality of life of patients after operation. So far, research on craniopharyngioma focuses on ways to ameliorate endocrine dysfunction. This article reviews the latest research progress on pathogenesis, manifestation, significance, and treatment of endocrine disorders in patients with craniopharyngioma.

Retrospective dataset and survey analyses identify gaps in data collection for craniopharyngioma and priorities of patients and families affected by the disease

“…We propose such data is routinely and consistently collected on a prospective basis for this patient population. This will allow more reliable correlation between clinical and molecular characteristics, selection of new treatment strategies, and long-term QoL in this patient population that is faced with a high burden of comorbidity [ 5 , 13 ]. In our review of molecular sequencing of craniopharyngioma samples within CBTN, we did confirm availability of a valuable cohort of eligible sequencing data which could provide important foundation to guide future management of craniopharyngioma.…”

“…With any of these treatment approaches, craniopharyngiomas are associated with high rates of visual, endocrine, neurologic and psychological complications. Neuroendocrine injury is commonly exacerbated in patients following surgical resection and leads to considerably high rates of deficiencies in growth hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, glucocorticoid, and vasopressin that commonly require some form of lifelong hormone replacement [13] . Hypothalamic involvement of the tumor can lead to hypothalamic syndrome and/or hypothalamic obesity, depending on the degree of damage to the hypothalamus from the tumor or treatments [14] .…”

Risk Factor and Replacement Therapy Analysis of Pre- and Postoperative Endocrine Deficiencies for Craniopharyngioma

“…In addition, studies have shown that GH deficiency could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and that sex hormone deficiency could increase the risk of osteoporosis [38,39]. Although there is still controversy about replacement therapy for endocrine hormone deficiency after brain tumor surgery, at present, replacement therapy remains the treatment option for endocrine deficiency [40]. Supplementation with hormones, including GH, thyroid hormones, and sex hormones, can improve insulin resistance, control body weight, and improve quality of life without increasing the risk of tumor recurrence [13,17,41,42].…”

Craniopharyngioma

“…Overall, the most frequent symptoms are headache and visual problems due to pressurized optic structures and obstructive hydrocephalus. Patients with CP frequently exhibit the manifestations of hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction, including growth hormone deficiency, adrenocortical insufficiency, central hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, precocious puberty, hyperprolactinemia, central diabetes insipidus, and hypothalamic obesity [14,19,20,29,30]. Fatigue, nausea/vomiting, somnolence, and memory impairment are the other signs of the clinical presentation related to CPs [2].…”