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Endocrine Abstracts (2019) 67 O31 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.67.O31

1Department of Endocrinology, Leeds Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK; 2Leeds School of Medicine, University of Leeds, UK; 3Department of Neurosurgery, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK; 4Department of Clinical Oncology, Leeds Cancer Centre, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK; 5Division of Cardiovascular and Diabetes Research, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (LICAMM), University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.


Objective: Radiotherapy (RT) can achieve tumour control rates of over 90% in pituitary adenomas. The commonest toxicity of irradiation is hypopituitarism. The exact incidence is variable and requires long-term testing for deficiency of all hypothalamic-pituitary axes (HPA). The aim of this study is to determine the time to onset of individual hormonal deficiencies and establish a timeframe for endocrine testing post-RT.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed the late effects of irradiation on pituitary function in patients with pituitary adenomas treated over 2004–2015. Patients with acromegaly or Cushing’s disease, those with tumour recurrence undergoing surgery after radiotherapy and patients with incomplete endocrine data were excluded.

Results: 94 patients (59% male; mean age at RT 58.4±12.3 years) were included. Mean duration of endocrine follow-up post-RT was 7.6±3.1 (range: 1.3–14.3) years. Thirty patients (31.9%) had complete loss of anterior pituitary hormone function pre-RT. Overall prevalence of radiation-induced hypopituitarism was 65.6%. The incidence and mean time to onset of individual hormone deficits post-RT were: GH–57.1% (1.3±0.7 years); LH/FSH–50% (2.0±1.4 years); ACTH–43.3% (3.1±2.2 years, P=0.04); TSH–39.6% (2.9±1.7 years, P=0.01). Age at RT, gender, RT dose and severity of hypopituitarism pre-RT did not correlate with post-RT hypopituitarism. By 5 years post-treatment, 100% GH, 75% LH/FSH, 60% ACTH and 75% TSH deficiencies were evident. All HPA dysfunction were detected by 8 years.

Conclusions: GH axis was the most vulnerable and ACTH deficiency was of slowest onset. Regular testing is mandatory for at least 8 years to ensure timely diagnosis and early hormone replacement therapy.

Volume 67

7th ESE Young Endocrinologists and Scientists (EYES) Meeting

European Society of Endocrinology 

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