Thyroid dysfunction among long-term survivors of bone marrow transplantation
Thyroid function studies were followed serially in 27 long-term survivors (median 33 months) of bone marrow transplantation. There were 15 men and 12 women (median age 13 1/12 years, range 11/12 to 22 6/12 years). Aplastic anemia (14 patients) and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (eight patients) were the major reasons for bone marrow transplantation. Pretransplant conditioning consisted of single-dose irradiation combined with high-dose, short-term chemotherapy in 23 patients, while four patients received a bone marrow transplantation without any radiation therapy. Thyroid dysfunction occurred in 10 of 23 (43 percent) irradiated patients; compensated hypothyroidism (elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels only) developed in eight subjects, and two patients had primary thyroid failure (elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and low T4 index). The abnormal thyroid studies were detected a median of 13 months after bone marrow transplantation. The four subjects who underwent transplantation without radiation therapy have remained euthyroid (median follow-up two years). The only variable that appeared to correlate with the subsequent development of impaired thyroid function was the type of graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis employed; the irradiated subjects treated with methotrexate alone had a higher incidence of thyroid dysfunction compared to those treated with methotrexate combined with antithymocyte globulin and prednisone (eight of 12 versus two of 11, p less than 0.05). The high incidence and subtle nature of impaired thyroid function following single-dose irradiation for bone marrow transplantation are discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Health Sciences Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- OSTI ID:
- 6794546
- Journal Information:
- Am. J. Med.; (United States), Vol. 73:5
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CHEMOTHERAPY
SIDE EFFECTS
RADIOTHERAPY
THYROID
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
ANEMIAS
BONE MARROW
DYNAMIC FUNCTION STUDIES
LEUKEMIA
PATIENTS
TRANSPLANTS
ANIMAL TISSUES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
DISEASES
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
GLANDS
HEMATOPOIETIC SYSTEM
HEMIC DISEASES
MEDICINE
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOLOGY
SYMPTOMS
THERAPY
TISSUES
550603* - Medicine- External Radiation in Therapy- (1980-)
551000 - Physiological Systems
550900 - Pathology