Quality of life and growth after childhood craniopharyngioma: results of the multinational trial KRANIOPHARYNGEOM 2007

• DOI: 10.1007/s12020-017-1489-9
• Publication Date: 2017-12-11T05:17:01Z
• Authors: Kerstin Heinks; Svenja Boekhoff; Anika Hoffmann; Monika Warmuth-Metz; Maria Eveslage; Junxiang Peng; Gabriele Calaminus; Hermann L. Müller
• Keywords: Male; Parents; Adolescent; Human Growth Hormone; Infant; Craniopharyngioma; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Cancer Survivors; Child, Preschool; Surveys and Questionnaires; Quality of Life; Humans; Female; Pituitary Neoplasms; Child; Growth Disorders

Quality of life (QoL) after childhood-onset craniopharyngioma (CP) is frequently impaired due to tumor and/or treatment-related factors such as endocrine deficits and hypothalamic involvement/lesions.In a multinational trial, we prospectively analyzed parental and self-assessment of CP patient QoL at 3 months, 1 and 3 years after CP diagnosis related to growth hormone (GH) substitution. 47 of 194 CP recruited between 2007 and 2015 in KRANIOPHARYNGEOM 2007 were analyzed for QoL 1 and 3 years after CP diagnosis. QoL was assessed by Pediatric Quality of Life (PEDQOL) questionnaire and PEDQOL scores of parental and self-assessed QoL during 3 years follow-up after CP diagnosis were analyzed.Parents estimated QoL of their children worse than patients did themselves. GH substitution had no relevant effect on short-term weight and height development. CP patients GH-treated at 3 years follow-up presented at baseline (1 year after diagnosis, before GH substitution) with reduced self-assessed QoL when compared with GH non-treated CP. QoL stabilized during 1-3 years of follow-up in GH-treated patients, whereas non GH-treated patients experienced decreases in autonomy (p = 0.03), cognition (p = 0.01), and physical function (p = 0.04).Parents assess QoL in CP survivors worse than their children. GH substitution should be considered as a therapeutic option to ameliorate imminent impairments of QoL after CP.