Does growth hormone treatment increase chromosomal abnormalities?

OBJECTIVE The relationship between growth hormone (OH) therapy and malignancy, including leukaemias, remains controversial, tn order to study this possible relationship further, we have investigated whether GH treatment induces chromosomal abnormalities in peripheral blood lymphocytes, DESIGN Open, prospective study in a University Hospital to examine peripheral brood mononuclear cells in subjects with OH-deficiency (GHD) before and during GH treatment, SUBJECTS Twelve idiopathic GHD patients, 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 additional GHD patients, aged 16.6 and 18 years, were studied 1 year after long-term OH therapy had been discontinued, and 12 age-matched healthy subjects were evaluated as controls, METHODS We examined the incidence of chromosome and chromatid breaks, fragments, structural rearrangements and aneuploidies in 100 metaphases for each blood sample, A total of 5300 cells was analysed in the 14 patients, RESULTS The proportion of cells with chromatid and chromosome breaks ranged from 0% to 6% in patients before treatment and from 1% to 5% in controls, During GH therapy 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 abnormalities in OH-treated patients when compared with age-matched healthy controls.