Effects of intensive chemotherapy on bone and collagen turnover and the growth hormone axis in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over), published as a randomized controlled trial.

To investigate the effects of disease and intensive chemotherapy on bone turnover and growth in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a longitudinal prospective study was carried out in 22 children, aged 1.2-13.5 yr, enrolled in the Medical Research Council-funded randomized trial of childhood ALL treatment in the UK.

Why It Was Studied

The researchers measured lower leg length and markers of bone formation [bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and procollagen type I C-terminal propeptide (PICP)], bone resorption [pyridinoline, deoxypyridinoline, and carboxyl-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP)], soft tissue turnover [procollagen type III N-terminal propeptide (P3NP)], and the GH axis [IGF-I, IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), IGFBP-2, and urinary GH] at 1- to 4-week intervals from diagnosis to week 27 of treatment.

At diagnosis, mean SD scores were: bone ALP, -1.84; PICP -1.77; pyridinoline, -1.42; deoxypyridinoline, -1.66; ICTP, -0.42; P3NP, +1.45; GH, +24.4; IGF-I, -1.70; IGFBP-3, -0.88; IGFBP-2, +2.42; and GH-binding protein, -0.69.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 22 children taking part.

PubMed indexes the participants as infants, young children, children and teenagers.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized study.

The children were allocated by chance, so the Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) group and the comparison group should start out alike.

In addition, GH-binding protein was measured at diagnosis.

What Was Measured

The researchers measured lower leg length and markers of bone formation [bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and procollagen type I C-terminal propeptide (PICP)], bone resorption [pyridinoline, deoxypyridinoline, and carboxyl-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP)], soft tissue turnover [procollagen type III N-terminal propeptide (P3NP)], and the GH axis [IGF-I, IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), IGFBP-2, and urinary GH] at 1- to 4-week intervals from diagnosis to week 27 of treatment.

At diagnosis, mean SD scores were: bone ALP, -1.84; PICP -1.77; pyridinoline, -1.42; deoxypyridinoline, -1.66; ICTP, -0.42; P3NP, +1.45; GH, +24.4; IGF-I, -1.70; IGFBP-3, -0.88; IGFBP-2, +2.42; and GH-binding protein, -0.69.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Alkaline Phosphatase, Antineoplastic Agents, Bone Remodeling, Collagen, Collagen Type I, Human Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) in 22 children.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 1998 (The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Exogenous HGH, sermorelin & older GHRPs (why they're passed over) compound page, all human trials.