Leukaemia and nutrition I: Malnutrition is an adverse prognostic factor in the outcome of treatment of patients with standard-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

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Abstract

A group of 43 pediatric patients with standard-risk ALL were studied. Thirty-seven per cent of them presented with malnutrition at diagnosis. Malnourished children had a significantly worse outcome than well-nourished children. Five-year DFS was 83% for well-nourished children (WNC) and 26% for under-nourished children (UNC) (p < 0.001). Relapses presented more frequently in the bone marrow in UNC than in WNC (56% vs 7%, p < 0.0001). The doses of maintenance chemotherapy had to be reduced in 68% of UNC and 11% of WNC (p < 0.005); the doses of maintenance myelosuppressive chemotherapy (6-MP, oral MTX and hydroxyldaunorubicin) received by UNC were approximately 50% of those received by WNC (p < 0.01). The correlation between malnutrition and compromised treatment was 0.92. Malnutrition might be included as an adverse prognostic factor in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

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    This work was supported in part by the Consejo Estatal de Ciencia y Tecnología de Puebla, México.

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