No abstract

Background: The high prevalence of malnutrition in adult and pediatric cancer patients has been appreciated for decades and continues to be documented. Although the prognostic significance of nutritional status among patients with cancer remains controversial, it is generally accepted that the nutritional support is an important aspect of medical therapy.

Background: Knowledge of the adverse effects of maintenance chemotherapy , therapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia being treated according to the MRC modified protocols. Objective: To figure out the asymptomatic hypoglycemia in a sample of children patients at a stage of maintenance therapy. Methods: Prospective study was carried out over 6 months from the 1st of January 2004 till the 30th of June 2004. A total sample of 30 patients aged between (1 and 15 years) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were included in study who were treated at Basra Maternity and child teaching hospital, all of them were being treated according to MRC modified protocol and on maintenance therapy (6 mercaptopurina + methotroxate), 35 healthy children matched for age and sex randomly selected as control. Results: Hypoglycemia were seen is 18 (60%) of patients with leukemia, 10 (55.5%) females and 8 (44.4%) males. Blood glucose level <3.33 mmol/L during 12 hours of overnight fasting. Conclusion: Hypoglycemia is the most common adverse effect in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on maintenance therapy.