Hypothalamic Involvement Predicts Cognitive Performance and Psychosocial Health in Long-term Survivors of Childhood Craniopharyngioma

• Published in: The journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism Vol. 98; no. 8; pp. 3253 - 3262
• Main Authors: Fjalldal, Sigridur, Holmer, Helene, Rylander, Lars, Elfving, Maria, Ekman, Bertil, Österberg, Kai, Erfurth, Eva Marie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Oxford University Press 01.08.2013; Copyright by The Endocrine Society; Endocrine Society
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Attention; Biological and medical sciences; Check lists; Child; Childhood; Children; Clinical Medicine; Cognition; Cognitive ability; Craniopharyngioma - mortality; Craniopharyngioma - pathology; Craniopharyngioma - psychology; Craniopharyngioma - surgery; Cross-Sectional Studies; Endocrinology and Diabetes; Endocrinopathies; Endokrinologi och diabetes; Executive function; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth hormones; Humans; Hypothalamus; Hypothalamus - pathology; Klinisk medicin; Male; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical sciences; MEDICIN; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; MEDICINE; Memory; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Neoplasia; Patients; Pituitary; Pituitary Neoplasms - mortality; Pituitary Neoplasms - psychology; Pituitary Neoplasms - surgery; Psychology; Psykologi; Quality of Life; Samhällsvetenskap; Social organization; Social Sciences; Statistical analysis; Survivors; Tumors; Ventricles (cerebral); Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vertebrates: endocrinology; Endocrinopathy; Human; Performance evaluation; Intracranial; Obesity; Nervous system diseases; Nutrition; Survivor; Nutrition disorder; Prediction; Metabolic diseases; Cognition; Psychosocial factor; Long term; Tumor; Craniopharyngioma; Performance; Child; Social aspect; Endocrinology; Nutritional status; Public health
• ISSN: 0021-972X; 1945-7197; 1945-7197
• DOI: 10.1210/jc.2013-2000

Context:Hypothalamic damage caused by craniopharyngioma (CP) is associated with poor functional outcome.Objective:To assess cognitive function and quality of life in childhood-onset CP on hormonal replacement, including GH treatment.Design:A cross-sectional study with a median follow-up time of 20 years (1–40).Setting:Patients were recruited from the South Medical Region of Sweden.Participants:The study included 42 patients (20 women) surgically treated for a childhood-onset CP between 1958 and 2000. Patients were aged ≥17 years. Equally many controls, matched for age, sex, residence, and smoking habits, were included. Tumor growth into the third ventricle was found in 25 patients.Main Outcome Measures:All subjects were examined with a battery of cognitive tests and the following questionnaires: Symptom Checklist-90, the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction, and the Social Network concept.Results:The CP patients had lower cognitive performance, reaching statistical significance in 12 of 20 test variables, including executive function and memory. Comparison of patients with tumor growth into the third ventricle to controls revealed a significant lower mean total score (P = .006). A significant negative correlation was recorded between mean z-score of cognitive performance and years since operation (r = −0.407; P = .014). No statistically significant group differences were observed across any of the 9 Symptom Checklist-90 subscales.Conclusions:Adults with childhood-onset CP, on hormone replacement, including GH treatment, have memory defects, disturbed attention, and impaired processing speed. Patients with hypothalamic involvement are more affected. Patients rated their quality of life as good as their matched controls.