The following is a summary of “Fracture Risk in Pediatric Patients With MEN2B,” published in the December 2022 issue of Endocrinology & Metabolism by Li, et al.
Although the skeletal profile of MEN2B patients had been reported, the patients’ fracture risk had not yet been assessed. Therefore, for a study, researchers sought to better define the fracture risk in individuals with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B (MEN2B).
The Pediatric Oncology Branch of the National Institutes of Health conducted the case series with a chart review. About 48 individuals with MEN2B were found in total, ranging in age from 5 to 36 with a median of 19, and 24 of them (or 50%) were female. Examined were medical records, demographic data, accessible imaging, and lab test findings. In addition, statistics were analyzed for history up to age 19.
Twenty of the 48 MEN2B patients had sustained at least one fracture. Most people (n = 18) had their first fracture at or before 19. Throughout youth (0–19 years), the observed fracture frequency was 38%, with very little variation between boys and girls. This incidence exceeds the 9.47 to 36.1 fractures per 1,000 individuals per year documented in healthy kid cohorts in the US. Patients with MEN2B were shown to have fractures at less frequent locations, such as pelvic fractures and spinal compression fractures.
Compared to typical pediatric cohorts in the United States, there was a higher risk of fracture in this group of kids with MEN2B. Additionally, less frequent fracture sites were seen. Further research was necessary since it pointed to a potential impact of an activating RET mutation on bone physiology.
Reference: academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/107/12/e4371/6691128?redirectedFrom=fulltext