Objective: Due to the increasing success and survival rates in the primary treatment of malignancies derived from the CNS as well as the hematopoietic system, endocrine late effects of cancer and its therapy are of growing importance. Despite evaluation of these late effects in patients treated for cancer in childhood, the impact on adults remains largely unclear.
Methods: 1035 adult patients primarily diagnosed with a CNS malignancy, a Hodgkin (HL) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) between 1998 and 2008 were recruited via the regional epidemiological cancer registry covering ∼ 2.8 million inhabitants in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany. The prevalence of endocrine disorders and current psychosocial impairment was assessed employing several questionnaires (SF-36v1, WHO-5).
Results: Fully completed questionnaires of 558 patients were available for subsequent analysis showing markedly reduced overall performance and psychological status when compared to German reference data. Thyroid disorders were reported in 16.3% of patients with 10.4% suffering from hypo- and 5.9% from hyperthyroidism. Overall, 17.6% stated to be affected by diabetes mellitus with an increased rate of 21.1% among NHL patients and 11.5% of participants were affected by osteoporosis.
Conclusion: Compared to German population based studies on the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis and thyroid disorders the frequency of all these endocrine problems was significantly increased in CNS, HL, and NHL cancer survivors. These data confirm that not only children and adolescents but also adult cancer patients are at risk for therapy associated endocrine late effects.
© 2015 European Society of Endocrinology.