ESPE Abstracts

Background: As a result of hypothalamic involvement and/or treatment-related hypothalamic damage, up to 75% of childhood craniopharyngioma patients develop hypothalamic obesity.outcome is important for optimization of treatment.

Method: Eating behaviour was analysed in 101 survivors of childhood craniopharyngioma, recruited from 1980 to 2001 in the HIT-Endo multicentre study, and in 85 BMI-matched healthy controls using the Inventory for eating behavior and weight problems (IEG) and the inventory for eating disorders (ESI).

Results: Severely obese patients (BMI >8 S.D.; n=9) presented with pathological eating behavior, more weight problems, and eating disorders, as compared to obese (BMI 3–8 S.D.; n=44) and normal or overweight patients (BMI <3 S.D.; n=48). Craniopharyngioma patients with different degrees of obesity showed similar or even less pathological findings as compared to BMI-matched normal controls.

Conclusion: Severe obesity is associated with pathological eating behaviour/disorders in craniopharyngioma patients. As these disorders are not disease-specific, risk factors for hypothalamic obesity should be the focus of further craniopharyngioma research.

Funding: German Childhood Cancer Foundation, Bonn, Germany.