Weight Gain in Surgically Treated Adult-onset Craniopharyngioma

Morbid obesity, intractable weight gain due to hypothalamic damage, is a common and troubling complication in patients undergoing surgery for craniopharyngioma combined or not with radiotherapy, with an incidence of 23~62% in pediatric patients. It has a major negative impact on metabolic and cardiovascular health and quality of life in long-term survivors. Identifying patients at higher risks for developing postoperative weight gain is of great importance in preventing obesity and taking early actions in this population. Though a lot of previous studies have been made in pediatric patients and several factors, such as hypothalamic involvement, higher body mass index (BMI) standard deviation score (SDS) at diagnosis, age at diagnosis and hydrocephalus requiring a shunt, have been identified as risk factors for postoperative weight gain, data on this important morbidity in adult-onset patients are sparse, especially in Chinese population. Therefore, the investigators are going to undertake a retrospective evaluation of postoperative weight change in adult-onset patients undergoing surgery for craniopharyngioma and identify preoperative factors associated with it.

Inclusion criteria

adult-onset, aged 18 years or more; pathologically confirmed craniopharyngioma; primary surgery performed at our hospital; at least 3 months of follow-up including body weight measurement; ambulatory (since lack of ambulation may predispose to weight gain); not receiving supraphysiologic doses of glucocorticoid (e.g. hydrocortisone, prednisone, or dexamethasone to exceed 12mg/m2•d hydrocortisone equivalent) for more than 2 months after tumor therapy.

Exclusion criteria

Childhood-onset, <18 years old; Inconsistent pathology; Without follow-up records in the investigators' institution.