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Together is a new resource for anyone affected by pediatric cancer - patients and their parents, family members, and friends.
Learn MoreSome childhood cancer treatments can cause problems with the body’s hormones.
Hormones take chemical messages from the brain to internal organs.
Learn More About the Endocrine System
The pituitary gland is sometimes called “the master gland” because it controls other glands such as the thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, and testes.
One hormone problem is central adrenal insufficiency. It affects the adrenal glands. They are located on top of the kidneys.
A deficiency in a pituitary hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) causes central adrenal insufficiency. ACTH tells the adrenal gland to make a hormone called cortisol.
If the pituitary gland doesn’t make ACTH, the body doesn’t make cortisol. Cortisol keeps blood sugar at a normal level and helps the body deal with physical stress such as fever, illness, and severe injuries.
Under normal circumstances, symptoms may not occur. If they do, they are usually mild. They may include:
Stress such as fever, infection, surgery, or injury can cause more severe symptoms:
Ask your oncologist about your risks of developing late effects.
Inform your primary health care provider about your risks. Share a copy of your Survivorship Care Plan, which includes a treatment summary. The summary includes details about your cancer treatment and information about health problems that may occur because of treatment.
Survivors who had radiation (30 Gy or higher) to the central area of the brain (hypothalamic-pituitary axis) should have a yearly measurement of a morning cortisol blood level or a yearly evaluation by an endocrinologist.
Treatment is hydrocortisone. It is a daily medication given by mouth.
In time of extreme stress such as illness or surgery, patients may get an increased dose, sometimes by injection.
Patients with central adrenal insufficiency should wear a medical alert bracelet. During an emergency, it will alert medical workers to the condition.
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Reviewed: November 2019