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GH therapy appears safe in children without risk factors for cancer
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In children without known risk factors for developing cancer, the use of growth hormone therapy appears to be safe and does not confer an increased risk for subsequent cancer, according to recent study findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
“The purpose of this report is to provide a review of the clinical evidence analyzing the association between GH treatment during childhood and development of neoplasia during or after completion of GH therapy,” the researchers wrote.
In the report, Sripriya Raman, MD, of Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, and colleagues conducted a PubMed search for articles that included GH therapy and neoplasia risk. The researchers conducted a secondary review of reference lists to identify additional relevant articles and key papers published in older literature; these were also included to provide a historical frame of reference.
Based on the evidence from the studies identified, childhood GH therapy is not associated with neoplasia in children without previous history of cancer or known risk factors for developing cancer. In this population, GH therapy was not found to increase risk for de novo cancer. The researchers noted, however, that much of the data evaluated came from post-marketing surveillance studies with inherent design limitations.
In pediatric patients with known cancer predisposition, the evidence was not sufficient to draw any conclusion regarding whether GH confers additional cancer risk. While pediatric cancer survivors do not appear to face an increased risk for recurrence due to GH therapy, they may have an increased risk for developing primary neoplasms later in life.
“There may be a small increased risk for subsequent neoplasms overall in pediatric cancer survivors; this risk decreases with time,” the researchers wrote. “However, there is no specific increase in the rates of subsequent [central nervous system] neoplasms. As the proposed indications for GH treatment expand, further research should investigate whether or not other underlying medical conditions modify the risk of GH treatment.” – by Jennifer Byrne
Disclosure: Raman reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.
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