Endocrinological late complications after hematopoietic SCT in children.

The main challenge for a pediatric hemato-oncologist today is to obtain a cure for the sick child with the minimum of treatment-related complications. Children on their way to achieving adulthood face many risks after hematopoietic SCT (HSCT). Continuous follow-up includes assessment of organ function, focus on vaccinations and screening for secondary malignancies. Updated treatment protocols are already adjusted according to the knowledge obtained on late effects, and the potential risks for complications are well balanced with expected benefits hopefully resulting in decreased potential risk for organ damage but still maintaining an unchanged or improved survival rate. Recent developments on pre-HSCT regimens, such as the introduction of new anticancer regimens and immunosuppressive agents will hopefully contribute to minimize the frequency and the severity of late complications. Knowledge about increased risk for long-term complications due to cancer therapy and pre-HSCT preparative regimens should encourage each caring physician to stick to follow-up protocols and treatment guidelines not only to improve the survival rate of transplanted children but also to improve their quality of life. To achieve adulthood by maintaining cognitive ability and psychosocial skills is the highest goal for an individual to become a competent member of a society. This review of late endocrine complications after HSCT focuses on growth, pubertal development, thyroid disorders and glucose metabolism in long-term survivors.

Unusual presentation of Addison's disease in Schmidt's syndrome.

A patient with Schmidt's syndrome and atypical symptoms of Addison's disease is presented. Autoimmune thyroiditis was diagnosed at the age of 12 years and then at 15 years; a diagnosis of migraine was made following 10 days of headache, visual field defects and dysarthria. One week later the patient was admitted to hospital in critical condition. Addison's disease was diagnosed and replacement therapy was introduced which brought about a rapid clinical improvement. Positive adrenal autoantibodies confirmed the diagnosis. We suggest that patients with organ-specific autoimmune disease undergo annual screening for adrenal activity, and in the event of abnormal results, adrenal autoantibody evaluation should be carried out, to avoid a life-threatening crisis caused by Addison's disease, which is often difficult to recognize due to atypical clinical presentation, as in the patient reported here.

Secondary thyroid carcinoma after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation during childhood.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors related to secondary thyroid carcinoma (STC) in patients who have undergone allogeneic BMT during childhood. Data related to the primary hematological disorder and BMT procedure were obtained from the records of 113 patients (42 F; 71 M) who underwent BMT before the age of 18 (median 10.0 years; range 1.7-18.0) and survived more than 3 years after transplant with a median follow-up of 10.1 years (range 3.0-19.0). Sixteen received cranial radiation (CRT) during first-line treatment. Pre-transplant conditioning included TBI in 85 patients, TAI in two, while 26 children did not receive irradiation. The standardized incidence ratio of STC after BMT was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that of the general population. STC was found in eight patients, 3.1 to 15.7 years after transplant. All received TBI and three also CRT. The Cox's regression analysis, although not statistically significant due to the small study population, showed an increased risk in those who had received a cumulative radiation dose higher than 10 Gy and in those who developed chronic GVHD. Careful follow-up of thyroid status including annual ultrasound examination is recommended for early detection of tumor.

Final height of patients who underwent bone marrow transplantation for hematological disorders during childhood: a study by the Working Party for Late Effects-EBMT.

Few data are available on the long-term effect of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) on growth. This study examines those factors that play a role in the final height outcome of patients who underwent BMT during childhood. Data on 181 of 230 patients with aplastic anemia, leukemias, and lymphomas who had BMT before puberty (mean age, 9.8 +/- 2.6 years) and who had reached their final height were analyzed. An overall decrease in final height standard deviation score (SDS) value was found compared with the height at BMT (P < 10(7)) and with the genetic height (P < 10(7)). Girls did better than boys, and the younger in age the person was at time of BMT, the greater the loss in height. Previous cranial irradiation + single-dose total body irradiation (TBI) caused the greatest negative effect on final height achievement (P < 10(4)). Fractionation of TBI reduces this effect significantly and conditioning with busulfan and cyclophosphamide seems to eliminate it. The type of transplantation, graft-versus-host disease, growth hormone, or steroid treatment did not influence final height. Irradiation, male gender and young age at BMT were found to be major factors for long-term height loss. Nevertheless, the majority of patients (140/181) have reached adult height within the normal range of the general population.