Objective:
The risk of developing hyperparathyroidism (HPT) in adults after radiation exposure is higher than that of the general population. Extensive
follow up guidelines of United Kingdom Children’s Cancer Study group (UKCCSG) or Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network (SIGN) do not recommend
monitoring serum calcium or parathyroid hormone in patients treated for childhood malignancies.
The aim of this study was to examine the occurrence of HPT in a cohort of survivors of childhood malignancy attending a late effects clinic after their
treatment for haematological and non-haematological malignancies that included previous irradiation
Design and methods:
Study was performed in 105 patients attending a late effects clinic. These patients had received different modalities f treatment
including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and bone marrow transplant for haematological and non-haematological malignancies in their childhood with.
All patients had evaluation for thyroid and parathyroid disease with a clinical examination and biochemical investigations. Patients with hyperparathyroidism
were treated with parathyroidectomy in the absence of thyroid disease and positive localization on imaging. This resulted in normalization of serum calcium.
Conclusion:
This data suggests that there is a significant risk of hyperparathyroidism in young females with haematological malignancies who received
total body irradiation as a single fraction for bone marrow transplant
