Degree of fatness after allogeneic BMT for childhood leukaemia or lymphoma.
Excess fatness is frequent after childhood ALL treated without BMT. We measured the whole-body percent fat by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and the body-mass index (weight/height(2) (kg/m(2)), BMI) in 25 survivors of childhood leukaemia or lymphoma (21 with ALL) who had received TBI and allogeneic BMT a median of 8 years ago (range 4-13). Adjusted for sex and age, the mean BMI was slightly but significantly reduced (0.4 s.d. below predicted) and the whole-body percent fat was significantly increased compared with healthy controls (1.1 s.d. above predicted). Eleven of 25 patients had a percent fat above the 90 percentile of the reference values, which indicates excess fatness. Adjusted for sex and age, a higher percent fat was related to additional cranial irradiation. Controlled for this, the whole-body percent fat seemed to be unrelated to age at BMT, length of follow-up, and previous chemotherapy. Compared with untransplanted ALL survivors treated with cranial irradiation, BMT survivors had significantly reduced BMI but similar whole body percent fat. BMI was a poor measure of body fatness in these patients. In conclusion, survivors of BMT for childhood leukaemia or lymphoma are adipose and slightly underweight and consequently have a substantially reduced lean body mass.
Nysom
K
K
Section of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, The Juliane Marie Centre, Rigshospitalet, Denmark.
Holm
K
K
Michaelsen
K F
KF
Hertz
H
H
Jacobsen
N
N
Müller
J
J
Mølgaard
C
C
D001823:Body Composition / Q000528:radiation effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000628:therapy*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000009:adverse effects; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000502:physiology