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Updated: Jul 6, 2025
Modeling Chemotherapy Resistant Leukemia In Vitro
Published on: February 9, 2016
The evolution of nutritional care in children and young people with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a narrative review
Amy L Lovell1,2, Breeana Gardiner3, Louise Henry4
1Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, The University of Auckland, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Auckland, New Zealand.
Insights
Children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) face nutrition challenges during treatment. Improved survival necessitates a focus on diet quality and preventing obesity in young cancer patients.
Area of Science:
- Paediatric oncology
- Clinical nutrition
- Cancer survivorship
Background:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a common childhood cancer.
- Survival rates for ALL in high-income countries exceed 80% due to treatment advances.
- Children and young people (CYP) with ALL experience significant nutrition challenges during treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evolving treatment and survivorship landscape for CYP with ALL.
- To highlight advances in nutrition knowledge relevant to clinical practice.
- To advocate for updated nutrition interventions in paediatric ALL care.
Main Methods:
- This study is a narrative review.
- It synthesizes current literature on ALL treatment, survivorship, and nutrition.
- It examines trends in nutritional status and dietary habits of affected CYP.
Main Results:
- ALL incidence is stable, but survival has significantly improved.
- Overweight and obesity are increasingly prevalent in CYP with ALL at all stages.
- Poor diet quality, high-fat intake, altered eating behaviors, and inactivity are common.
- Undernutrition persists in high-risk treatment protocols, requiring nutritional support.
Conclusions:
- High survival rates in ALL necessitate a shift in focus.
- Prioritizing diet quality is crucial for paediatric cancer patients.
- Preventing excessive weight gain and obesity during and after treatment is essential.
Background:
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common paediatric malignancy in the world. Advances in treatment protocols have resulted in survival rates of >80% in most high-income countries (HIC); however, children and young people (CYP) with ALL continue to face significant nutrition-related challenges during treatment.
Methods:
This narrative review outlines the changing landscape of treatment and survivorship for CYP with ALL and the advances in nutrition knowledge that call for changes to clinical nutrition practice.
Results:
The incidence of ALL has remained stable in HIC; however, there have been significant advances in survival over the past 30 years. Overweight and obesity are increasingly prevalent in CYP with ALL at diagnosis, during treatment and in survivorship. Coupled with poor diet quality, high-energy and saturated fat intakes, altered eating behaviours and inactivity, this necessitates the need for a shift in nutrition intervention. Undernutrition remains a concern for CYP with high-risk treatment protocols where oral or enteral nutrition support remains a cornerstone of maintaining nutrition status.
Conclusions:
With improved treatment protocols and high survival rates, a shift to focusing on diet quality, prevention of excessive weight gain and obesity during treatment and survivorship is necessary.
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