Comparison of height and weight after 12 vs. 18 Gy cranial radiation therapy in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients.

purposeTo compare the effect of 12 versus 18 Gy cranial radiation therapy (RT) on height and weight indices among pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Records of children with ALL who were 2 to 14 years old at the time of RT and were treated at a single institution between 2000 and 2011 were reviewed. Patients' height, weight, and body mass index were converted into z-scores using the Centers for Disease Control growth charts to normalize the values to number of standard deviations from the mean. These values were measured at the pre-RT clinic visit and subsequent yearly intervals. The z-scores of the growth indices were fitted into a generalizing estimating equations model and analyzed by various clinical factors.

resultsA total of 48 patients met the study criteria, including 32 boys and 16 girls. The median age at the time of RT was 7 years (range, 2-14 years). Patients were separated into 2 dose groups: 12 Gy (n = 30) and 18 Gy (n = 18). Median follow-up was 4.9 years (range, 3.0-11.8 years) and 6.0 years (range, 3.1-10.5 years) and the median pre-RT height z-scores were -0.55 (range, -2.2 to 1.4) and -0.85 (range, -3.1 to 0.8) for the 2 groups, respectively (

conclusionsCompared with 18 Gy, patients with ALL who received 12 Gy of cranial RT had less height impairment in the first 3 years post-RT, but further prospective studies are needed.