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Late effects of anticancer therapy on kidney function in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

L Kopecna1

  • 1Ist Children's Internal and Oncological Clinic Medical Faculty, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. lkopecna@med.muni.cz

Insights

Children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) often develop kidney damage, particularly tubular proteinuria, after chemotherapy. Early detection through sensitive urinalysis is crucial for monitoring and preventing chronic kidney failure.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Nephrology
  • Cancer Treatment

Background:

  • Children undergoing cancer treatment, particularly acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), face risks of long-term kidney damage (nephrotoxicity).
  • Nephrotoxicity is often dose-dependent, manifesting as reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and tubular dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze kidney damage and clinical outcomes in children treated for ALL.
  • To identify the most common types of nephrotoxic damage related to specific treatments.
  • To assess risks of acute and chronic kidney issues from anticancer therapies and standardize post-treatment kidney function evaluation.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 36 children (average age 6.9 years) treated with the ALL BFM 90 protocol was studied.
  • Kidney function was assessed via urinalysis, creatinine clearance, tubular resorption tests, kidney ultrasounds, 24-hour proteinuria, and urine protein concentrations.
  • Concentration function was evaluated using the DDAVP test, with follow-up at an average of 48 months post-treatment.

Main Results:

  • Post-chemotherapy, 52.8% of patients showed proteinuria (PU), with tubular proteinuria being the most common (68.4%).
  • Reduced GFR was observed in 13.9% of patients, and 52.8% had an abnormal DDAVP test, indicating impaired kidney concentration function.
  • Glomerular and mixed proteinuria were identified in 15.8% of patients each.

Conclusions:

  • Sensitive proteinuria analysis is vital for early detection of kidney damage during and after cytostatic treatment.
  • Identifying patients with glomerular/mixed proteinuria is key to predicting risk for chronic renal failure.
  • Patients with persistent glomerular/mixed proteinuria require ongoing nephrological monitoring.

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