Body Mass Index Trajectories in Craniopharyngioma

Individuals who have undergone treatment for craniopharyngiomas in childhood experience lasting metabolic issues, most notably hypothalamic obesity. Hypothalamic obesity and related comorbidities including diabetes mellitus, fatty liver disease, and psychiatric disorders, impact health and quality of life of pediatric cancer survivors. Interventional studies consistently find that hypothalamic obesity is very challenging to treat. For this project, researchers will leverage the rich genetic data available through the Pediatric Brain Tumor Atlas (PBTA) to examine how background risk for obesity influences BMI trajectory in children with craniopharyngioma. Researchers propose to examine the trajectory of height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in individuals in the PBTA with diagnoses of craniopharyngioma. The results of this project will be informative for clinicians who care for children with craniopharyngioma, will serve as a basis for proposals into future research, and is of interest to endocrinologists who focus on hypothalamic obesity.