Alterations in body composition in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Introduction We studied the body composition among survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as compared to healthy controls. Methods Twenty-nine survivors of childhood ALL and 35 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were evaluated for anthropometric measurements, including weight, height, body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio. Body composition was analyzed using Tanita SC-330P scale. Measurement of fasting insulin, glucose, lipids, and serum leptin was done for all participants. Results BMI-standard deviation score (SDS) was significantly higher among the survivor group (mean±SD 0.79±1.2) versus controls (0.25±0.85, P=0.041). Obesity/overweightness were more prevalent among survivors than the control group (34.5% and 17.6%, respectively); however, the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.215). There was no difference between both the groups when comparing waist-to-hip ratio, body fat %, fat-free mass %, muscle mass %, and total body water % as well as serum leptin and lipid profile. Among ALL survivors, the overweight/obese group had higher total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol than survivors with normal BMI-SDS (P=0.0127 and 0.025, respectively), while other variables, including gender, median time from diagnosis, cranial irradiation, serum leptin, were comparable for both the groups. Conclusion ALL survivors are more prone to obesity and altered body composition. Incorporating preventive strategies early into treatment regimens is needed to prevent the development of these metabolic abnormalities.