Management of Acquired Hypothalamic Obesity After Childhood-Onset Craniopharyngioma-A Narrative Review.
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Introduction: Craniopharyngiomas are rare sellar embryonic malformational tumors of low-grade histological malignancy. Despite high overall survival rates (92%), quality of life is frequently reduced due to adverse late effects caused by hypothalamic obesity. It is well known that morbid hypothalamic obesity is associated with the grade of hypothalamic damage. Accordingly, craniopharyngioma should be considered a paradigmatic disease, reflecting challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of acquired hypothalamic obesity. Methods: A narrative review was performed after searching the MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases for initial identifying articles. The search terms childhood-onset craniopharyngioma and hypothalamic obesity were used. Results: Despite the availability of promising therapeutic approaches, such as medication with central stimulating agents, antidiabetic drugs, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor agonists, and Setmelanotide, it must be emphasized that there is currently no pharmaceutical treatment for hypothalamic obesity in craniopharyngioma proven to be effective in randomized controlled trials. For Setmelanotide, a prospective blinded randomized trial over a 12-month treatment period is ongoing. Bariatric interventions are effective, but non-reversible procedures such as bypass operations are controversial in the pediatric age group due to legal and ethical concerns. Recently, a treatment algorithm was introduced to improve the management of hypothalamic syndrome/obesity by offering more personalized treatment. Decisions on treatment strategies focusing on the preservation of visual, neuroendocrine, and hypothalamic integrity should be made by experienced multidisciplinary teams. Conclusions: Treatment approaches for hypothalamic obesity are limited. Further research on novel treatment approaches for hypothalamic obesity is warranted to improve the quality of life after childhood-onset craniopharyngioma.