DOES GROWTH-HORMONE TREATMENT INCREASE CHROMOSOMAL-ABNORMALITIES

OBJECTIVE The relationship between growth hormone (OH) therapy and mal ignancy, including leukaemias, remains controversial, tn order to stud y this possible relationship further, we have investigated whether GH treatment induces chromosomal abnormalities in peripheral blood lympho cytes, DESIGN Open, prospective study in a University Hospital to exam ine peripheral brood mononuclear cells in subjects with OH-deficiency (GHD) before and during GH treatment, SUBJECTS Twelve idiopathic GHD p atients, aged 1.8-12.5 years, were evaluated before and after 3, 6 and 12 months of GH therapy (0.6 IU/kg per week subcutaneously), Two addi tional GHD patients, aged 16.6 and 18 years, were studied 1 year after long-term OH therapy had been discontinued, and 12 age-matched health y subjects were evaluated as controls, METHODS We examined the inciden ce of chromosome and chromatid breaks, fragments, structural rearrange ments and aneuploidies in 100 metaphases for each blood sample, A tota l of 5300 cells was analysed in the 14 patients, RESULTS The proportio n of cells with chromatid and chromosome breaks ranged from 0% to 6% i n patients before treatment and from 1% to 5% in controls, During GH t herapy the incidence of aneuploid metaphases ranged from 0% to 7% and was comparable with values observed in controls, Chromosomal loss and gain was random, CONCLUSIONS We observed no increase in chromosomal ab normalities in OH-treated patients when compared with age-matched heal thy controls.