Long-Term Safety of Growth Hormone Deﬁciency Treatment in Cancer and Sellar Tumors Adult Survivors - Is There a Role of GH Therapy on the Neoplastic Risk

Sep 24, 2026

Experimental evidence indicates that GH/IGF-1 status may affect neoplastic tissue growth, while epidemiological data suggest an association between GH/IGF-1 status and cancer risk. Observations in childhood cancer survivors receiving GH replacement do not show an excess of de novo cancers, and reported studies in children and adults treated with GH do not demonstrate increased observed cancer risk. This review provides an overview of long-term effects of GH replacement on neoplastic risk in adult survivors with growth hormone deficiency and sellar tumors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages15

Reading Time38 min

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Introduction

Cancer Incidence in Adult Patients

Cancer Risk in Adult Hypopituitary Patients

Review Long-Term Safety of Growth Hormone Deﬁciency Treatment in Cancer and Sellar Tumors Adult Survivors: Is There a Role of GH Therapy on the Neoplastic Risk? Carolina Di Somma 1,2,*, Elisabetta Scarano 1, Rossana Arianna 1, Fiammetta Romano 1, Mariarosaria Lavorgna 1, Domenico Serpico 1 and Annamaria Colao 1,2 Citation: Di Somma, C.; Scarano, E.; Arianna, R.; Romano, F.; Lavorgna, M.; Serpico, D.; Colao, A. Long-Term Safety of Growth Hormone Deﬁciency Treatment in Cancer and Sellar Tumors Adult Survivors: Is There a Role of GH Therapy on the Neoplastic Risk?. J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 662. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)jcm12020662 Academic Editor: Cees Noordam Received: 20 December 2022 Revised: 7 January 2023 Accepted: 12 January 2023 Published: 13 January 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Endocrinology, Diabetes and Andrology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy 2 UNESCO Chair “Education for Health and Sustainable Development”, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy * Correspondence: [cdisomma@unina.it](cdisomma@unina.it) Abstract: Experimental studies support the hypothesis that GH/IGF-1 status may inﬂuence neoplastic tissue growth. Epidemiological studies suggest a link between GH/IGF-1 status and cancer risk. However, several studies regarding GH replacement safety in childhood cancer survivors do not show a prevalence excess of de novo cancers, and several reports on children and adults treated with GH have not shown an increase in observed cancer risk in these patients. The aim of this review is to provide an at-a-glance overview and the state of the art of long-term effects of GH replacement on neoplastic risk in adults with growth hormone deﬁciency who have survived cancer and sellar tumors. Keywords: GH treatment; cancer risk; GHD 1. Introduction Since t mass manufacture began in 1985, the biosynthetic growth hormone (GH) has been used to treat both growth hormone deﬁciency (GHD) in adults and a variety of disorders in children linked to short stature, with different approved purposes in different nations [1] . Due to the development of GHD associated with the malignancy and/or severe effects of its treatment, including chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and biological therapy (antigen–speciﬁc monoclonal antibodies and cytotoxic T-cells), certain cancer survivors may need to be treated with GH. Over the past forty years, there has been a signiﬁcant improvement in cancer treatment, leading to a signiﬁcant rise in the number of cancer survivors. Childhood cancer treatment frequently results in poor longitudinal growth and GHD [2] . GH replacement therapy improves symptoms and comorbidities linked to GHD in adults. This review summarizes the most recent medical literature regarding GH treatment safety in cancer and sellar tumor adult survivors, with a focus on key issues: Where clinical practice lacks clinical practice consensus. 2. Cancer Incidence in Adult Patients Cancer incidence and mortality are both rising fast globally. There are many causes, but they take into account population aging and growth, as well as shifts in the prevalence and distribution of major cancer risk factors, many of which are linked to socioeconomic development. According to previous estimates, there were 9.6 million cancer deaths and 18.1 million new cancer cases in 2018 [3] . Lung cancer, which affects both sexes equally, is the most frequently diagnosed cancer (11.6% of all cases) and the most fatal (18.4% of all cancer deaths) . It is closely

FAQs

What is the purpose of this review on GH therapy in adult cancer and sellar tumor survivors?

To provide an at-a-glance overview of the current evidence on the long-term effects of GH replacement on neoplastic risk in adults with growth hormone deficiency who survived cancer and sellar tumors.

What do experimental and epidemiological studies suggest about GH/IGF-1 and cancer risk?

Experimental studies support the hypothesis that GH/IGF-1 status may influence neoplastic tissue growth, and epidemiological studies suggest a link between GH/IGF-1 status and cancer risk.

Do studies in childhood cancer survivors show an increase in new cancers after GH replacement?

The review reports that several studies regarding GH replacement safety in childhood cancer survivors do not show a prevalence excess of de novo cancers, and multiple reports in children and adults treated with GH have not shown an increase in observed cancer risk.

Sep 24, 2026

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