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Post-Transplant Events

Growth hormone treatment impact on growth rate and final height of patients who received HSCT with TBI or/and cranial irradiation in childhood: a report from the French Leukaemia Long-Term Follow-Up Study (LEA)

Abstract

The literature contains a substantial amount of information about factors that adversely influence the linear growth in up to 85% of patients undergoing haematopoietic SCT (HSCT) with TBI and/or cranial irradiation (CI) for acute leukaemia (AL). By contrast, only a few studies have evaluated the impact of growth hormone (GH) therapy on growth rate and final height (FH) in these children. We evaluated growth rates during the pre- and post-transplant periods to FH in a group of 25 children treated with HSCT (n=22), TBI (n=21) or/and CI (n=8) for AL and receiving GH therapy. At the start of GH treatment, the median height Z-score was −2.19 (−3.95 to 0.02), significantly lower than at AL diagnosis (P<0.001). Overall height gain from start of GH treatment to FH was 0.59Z (−2.72 to 2.93) with a median height Z-score at FH of −1.35 (−5.35 to 0.27). This overall height gain effect was greater in girls than in boys (P=0.04). The number of children with heights in the reference population range was greater after than before GH therapy (P=0.07). At FH the GVHD and GH treatments lasting <2 years were associated with shorter FH (P=0.02 and 0.05). We found a measurable beneficial effect of GH treatment on growth up to FH.

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Acknowledgements

The cooperation of all participating teams in the LEA programme was greatly appreciated: Hématologie Pédiatrique APHP St Louis-Paris, Hématologie Pédiatrique APHP R Debré—Paris (Pr A Baruchel), Oncologie Pédiatrie APHP Trousseau—Paris (Pr G Leverger), Institut d'Hématologie et d'Oncologie Pédiatrique HCL—Lyon (Pr Y Bertrand), Hémato oncologie pédiatrique et greffe de moelle CHU—Nancy (Pr P Chastagner, Pr Bordigoni), CRCTCP CHU—Clermont-Ferrand (Pr F Deméocq), Hémato oncologie pédiatrique CHU—Nice (Dr N Sirvent), Hémato pédiatrique APHM La Timone—Marseille (Pr G Michel) Oncologie Pédiatrie CHU—Grenoble (Pr D Plantaz), Unité d'hémato-oncologie et greffes de moelle CHU-Rennes (Dr Virginie Gandemer). We thank Pr Pascal Auquier, Marie Claude Simeoni and their staff: EA3279 ‘Qualité de Vie et Maladies Chroniques’ Service de Santé Publique et Epidémiologie—Unité d'aide méthodologique à la Recherche clinique et épidémiologique, Marseille AP-HM, for database support.

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Correspondence to J Kanold.

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Isfan, F., Kanold, J., Merlin, E. et al. Growth hormone treatment impact on growth rate and final height of patients who received HSCT with TBI or/and cranial irradiation in childhood: a report from the French Leukaemia Long-Term Follow-Up Study (LEA). Bone Marrow Transplant 47, 684–693 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2011.139

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