Late Endocrine Effects After HSCT in Children With Nonmalignant Diseases; A Single Center Cohort Analysis

Abstract

Endocrine complications are amongst the most frequent late effects after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for malignant diseases. Little is known about the prevalence and risk factors of endocrine complications in children transplanted for nonmalignant diseases. This retrospective study included 134 males and 63 females transplanted for a non-malignant disease between 1997 and 2018 with at least 2 years of follow up. Endocrine late effects and growth were evaluated. Gonadal dysfunction was defined as transient or permanent elevation of gonadotropins or hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Median age at HSCT was 5.7 years (IQR 2.8-11.3) and median follow-up was 6.2 years (IQR 3.0-10.4). Underlying diseases were inborn errors of immunity (n=74), hemoglobinopathies (n=66) and bone marrow failure (n=57). The majority of patients had received busulfan-based conditioning (46%) or treosulfan-based conditioning (34%). Gonadal dysfunction occurred in 24/44 (post)pubertal female patients (55%) and was permanent in 19/44 (43%). 22/44 received hormonal substitution, which could be discontinued in 7. In females who received busulfan-based conditioning 16/17 (94%) developed gonadal dysfunction compared to 5/15 (33%) patients with treosulfan-based conditioning; the odds ratio for permanent gonadal dysfunction was 18.7 (3.61-135, p=0.001). Gonadal dysfunction occurred in 28/66 (post)pubertal male patients (42%) and was permanent in 23/66 (35%). 6/66 received hormonal substitution, which could be discontinued in 1. Gonadal dysfunction was more common in males (post)pubertal at HSCT, 14/21 (67%), compared to those prepubertal at HSCT, 14/45 (31%), p=0.014. 3/15 treated with a treosulfan-based regimen (20%) developed gonadal dysfunction, all transient, versus 19/39 with a busulfan-based regimen (49%), with 2 transient. 29/187 patients developed hypothyroidism (16%), 7 patients received thyroxine treatment (4%). All patients with persistent primary hypothyroidism (n=6) had positive TPO-antibodies. 17 patients received growth hormone treatment and were excluded from analysis. In patients without growth hormone treatment near adult height (NAH) was -1.2 SDS (median, IQR -2.0- -0.3) below mean parental height (MPH) in males and -0.4 SDS (median, IQR -1.6-0.3) in females. NAH below -2 SDS was seen in 13/43 males (30%) and 2/36 females (6%). The majority of these patients already had a height below -2 SDS before HSCT (73%). In conclusion, this study on late endocrine effects after HSCT in children with nonmalignant diseases indicates frequent gonadal dysfunction, present in 55% of females and 42% of males. In this cohort, risk of gonadal dysfunction in females was higher after busulfan-based conditioning than treosulfan-based conditioning. Careful long-term endocrine follow-up is indicated.