Obese children with leukemia have poorer outlook

Young patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and a high body mass index, a measure commonly used to estimate whether a person is underweight or overweight, at the time of diagnosis are at increased risk of relapse and other untoward events, according to researchers.

ALL is a type of leukemia that commonly affects children and young adults. It typically has a rapid onset and progression, but usually responds to intensive combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Lead investigator Dr. Anna M. Butturini told Reuters Health that "obesity is associated with lower probability of cure in pre-adolescents and teenagers with ALL." Moreover, she added, "A current analysis suggests that same is true in adults with the same disease."

Butturini of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and colleagues reviewed and analyzed data from 4,260 young patients with newly diagnosed ALL enrolled in five concurrent studies. The results were verified in a second group of 1,733 patients enrolled in a sixth study.

The initial group consisted of 343 obese and 3,917 non-obese patients, the researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. After adjusting the data to account for factors associated with increased risk, the obese patients were 35 percent more likely to have a negative event and were 29 percent more likely to have a cancer relapse. The effects were more pronounced and in those who were older than 10 years of age.

At one time, "obesity in cancer was rare," Butturini pointed out. "Now a large proportion of our patients are obese and we must face the challenge they present."

She added, "The mechanisms underlying the effect of obesity on outcome of ALL are probably more complex than just differences in pharmacokinetics between obese and non-obese individuals."

A better understanding of why obese patients with ALL are at increased risk of relapse, Butturini concluded, "will likely help us to design better therapies for both obese and non-obese patients."

source : news.yahoo.com