We report on a male patient with an inactive pituitary and lumbar astrocytoma. He presented with panhypopituitarism at the age of 16 and received growth hormone replacement therapy for one year. During this period the pituitary mass increased substantially and showed subsequently a consistent shrinkage once treatment was stopped. The lumbar lesion stayed stable for the whole period of observation. The presumable rGH related change of the pituitary astrocytoma underlines the importance of careful follow-up of children with growth hormone deficiency secondary to treatment for brain tumors. Substitution therapy with rGH requires further and longer studies before it can be recommended with absolute reassurance in children with subtotal resection of a pituitary astrocytoma.

Keywords:
Pituitary astrocytoma, Lumbar astrocytoma, Growth hormone therapy
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© 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel
2003
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