Research advances in diagnosis and treatment of early hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction in long-term surviving children after brain tumor treatment

Abstract:

Childhood brain tumor is one of the most common childhood tumors，which seriously affects children's health. Endocrine dysfunction is one of the major complications for children with long-term survival after treatment of sellar region tumors，posterior fossa tumors and extrapituitary tumors. Moreover，early identification of pituitary dysfunction in children with brain tumors，and prompt treatment is critical for their growth，development，and long-term well-being. In the case of growth hormone deficiency and dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid，hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes，early diagnosis of axis impairment can be aided by conducting endocrine function tests. This approach aims to aid in the timely evaluating the child's growth and development. In addition，it is necessary to actively adopt a multi-disciplinary（MD） diagnosis and treatment model involving departments such as neurosurgery，endocrinology，radiology etc，to proactively consider the risk of tumor recurrence in children after surgery，accurately assess the degree of metabolic disorders in children，and provide precise treatment at the hospital to improve the prognosis and quality of life of affected children.