Longitudinal changes in body mass index, height, and weight in children with acute myeloid leukemia
Xiaojia Wen1, Hongbo He1, Ruidong Zhang1
1Leukemia Department, Hematology Center, Beijing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, National Key Clinical Discipline of Pediatric Hematology, National Key Discipline of Pediatrics (Capital Medical University), Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Ministry of Education, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's, 56 Nanlishi Road, Beijing, 100045, China.
Insights
Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment impacts child growth, with significant weight and body mass index (BMI) changes observed. Monitoring these growth metrics is crucial for better AML patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Growth and Development
- Hematologic Malignancies
Background:
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) significantly affects pediatric patients' growth.
- Longitudinal growth changes during and after AML treatment require thorough investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze height prediction and longitudinal growth alterations in Chinese pediatric AML patients.
- To associate growth changes with treatment outcomes.
- To evaluate body mass index (BMI) dynamics during AML therapy.
Main Methods:
- Studied 88 children with AML, tracking BMI, height, and weight against growth percentile curves.
- Evaluated changes from diagnosis to 2 years post-therapy.
- Compared AML outcomes based on different BMI levels.
Main Results:
- Underweight prevalence increased from diagnosis to consolidation treatment.
- Low BMI was highest (23.08%) during consolidation; overweight prevalence reached 20% post-therapy.
- Unhealthy BMI at diagnosis and during chemotherapy correlated with poorer AML outcomes.
- Final height for all patients fell within the genetically predicted range.
Conclusions:
- Physicians must closely monitor height and weight changes in pediatric AML patients.
- Timely intervention for growth abnormalities during critical treatment phases is essential.
- Growth monitoring is key for improving pediatric AML patient care.
Background:
This study reported height prediction and longitudinal growth changes in Chinese pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) during and after treatment and their associations with outcomes.
Methods:
Changes in 88 children with AML in percentages according to the growth percentile curve for Chinese boys/girls aged 2-18/0-2 years for body mass index (BMI), height, and weight from the time of diagnosis to 2 years off therapy were evaluated. The outcomes of AML were compared among patients with different BMI levels.
Results:
The proportion of underweight children (weight < 5th percentile) increased significantly from the initial diagnosis to the end of consolidation treatment. The proportion of patients with low BMI (BMI < 5th percentile) was highest (23.08%) during the consolidation phase, and no children were underweight, but 20% were overweight (BMI > 75th percentile) after 2 years of drug withdrawal. Unhealthy BMI at the initial diagnosis and during intensive chemotherapy leads to poorer outcomes. For height, all patients were in the range of genetic height predicted based on their parents' height at final follow-up.
Conclusions:
Physicians should pay more attention to the changes in height and weight of children with AML at these crucial treatment stages and intervene in time.
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