Growth hormone therapy helps childhood stem cell transplant survivors grow taller, but responses vary widely
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a treatment for some life-threatening cancers and nonmalignant disorders. As HCT is a curative treatment, it is used to treat children where necessary. It has historically been a dangerous procedure, but advances in medicine have increased the number of long-term survivors. This increase has also revealed late effects in childhood survivors, most…
Growth hormone therapy can help taller growth in children who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) for life-threatening cancers or nonmalignant disorders, according to a study published in Frontiers in Endocrinology. However, the benefits and responses to the therapy varied widely among patients. The research, conducted by a team from the Japanese Children's Cancer Group led by Hiroshima University, analyzed data from 268 childhood HCT survivors with short stature, of whom 58 received growth hormone (GH) therapy and 113 did not.
The study found that GH therapy improved final height outcomes in some patients, but the response was highly variable and influenced by factors such as total body irradiation (TBI) and chronic graft-versus-host disease. Despite these variations, the research suggests that individualized long-term management of GH therapy could be beneficial for patients.
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