Evaluation of selected endocrine disorders after anticancer treatment of solid tumors in childhood

Introduction . Continuously improving treatment of childhood cancers leads to the better survival rate, but at the same time causes long-term consequences. The aim of our study was to evaluate the incidence of selected endocrine disorders after anticancer treatment of solid tumors. Materials and methods . The study group consisted of 74 patients (48 boys), aged 3.25-27 years (mean 13.24± 6.21), at least one year after anticancer therapy of solid tumours. Thyroid function, concentration of: sex hormones, lipids (cholesterol/LDL/TG, HDL), IGF-1 (ng/ml), PTH (pg/ml) were assessed. BMD (Z-score) were evaluated. Following anthropometric parameters were examined: height SDS, body mass SDS and BMI SDS. Results . Endocrinological abnormalities were found in 66 (89.19%) of patients. Most of the patients (67.57%) had one or two disturbances. Most common abnormalities were dyslipidaemia found in 39 (58.21%) patients and overweight/obesity in 25 (33.78%). Other abnormalities were as follows: disturbance in sex hormones in 14 (27.45%) patients, abnormal PTH in 13 (19.4%), abnormal IGF-1 in 9 (14.75%), short stature in 9 (12.16%) underweight in 8 (11.11%), hypothyroidism in 7 (9.72%), low BMD 6 (8.69%) and hyperthyroidism in 2 (2.78%). Conclusions . Patients after anticancer treatment during childhood are significantly exposed to endocrine disorders. These patients require detailed follow-up examinations to detect abnormalities and to implement the appropriate treatment. It should be noted that there is frequent coexistence of multiple disorders to one patient.