WEIGHT GAIN FOLLOWING PROLONGED REMISSION IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA

Abstract

There is a clinical impression that patients who have heen successfully treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia(ALL) become obese young adults. A retrospective analysis of the medical records of 130 patients in first prolonged continuous remission from ALL who had reached final height was performed. The body mass index (BMI) was assessed at commencement of treatment (V 1), immediately after treatment was completed (V2), and at final height (V3). All patients were treated with standard UK regimen consisting of combination cytotoxic chemotherapy and employing 1800 cGy or 2100-2500 cGy cranial irradiation for CNS prophylaxis. The mean BMI standard deviation score at V1, V2 and V3 for the groups were as follows.Statistical analysis was carried out employing a Friedmann's non parametric two way analysis of variance to assess the significance of the differences. There was a tendency to an increase in BMI SDS in all four groups. However, this reached statistical significance only in the girls who received 1800 cGy cranial irradiation, (p<0.005) The BMI in this group did not reach levels defined as obesity for adults more frequently than in the general population as only 10% reached a value of 27. In conclusion, patients successfully trailed for ALL do not become obese more frequently than the general population.