The Nutritional Trajectory of Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A 10-Year Follow up Study from a Referral Center in South India

OBJECTIVE: Survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are vulnerable to late adverse events such as obesity and an associated metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Children treated for ALL from 2002 to 2012 were included. BMI was calculated at diagnosis, end of treatment, and 5, 8, and 10-years from diagnosis. BMI-centiles were used to categorize the patients: underweight (<5th-percentile), normal (5th-85th percentile), overweight (85th-95th percentile), and obese (≥95th centile). RESULTS: < 0.001). CONCLUSION: At 10-years of follow-up, >25% of children with ALL were overweight/obese. The BMI Z-score at the time of diagnosis continued to correlate with the Z-score after 10-years.