Sexual Dimorphism in Abdominal Obesity and Metabolic Risk in Adult Survivors of Childhood Leukemia: Role of Cranial Radiotherapy

Adult survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are obese and exhibit greater metabolic risk and lower cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) compared to age-matched controls. In female survivors these effects may be exacerbated by cranial radiotherapy (CRT). Computed tomography images in 3...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of applied physiology 2005-01, Vol.30, p.S39-S39
Main Authors: Janiszewski, P M, Oeffinger, K C, Church, T S, Ross, R
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Adult survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are obese and exhibit greater metabolic risk and lower cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) compared to age-matched controls. In female survivors these effects may be exacerbated by cranial radiotherapy (CRT). Computed tomography images in 36 female (age 24.5 plus or minus 5.1 yrs) and 30 male (age 24.2 plus or minus 4.8 yrs) ALL survivors were used to assess abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and SAT), liver fat, thigh SAT, intermuscular AT, and mean muscle attenuation. Twelve men and 12 women were treated with CRT. C-reactive protein (CRP) was assessed in 29 women (9 with CRT) and 24 men (9 with CRT). Only female ALL survivors treated with CRT had higher amounts of VAT (p < 0.005), SAT (p < 0.05), and CRP (p < 0.01) than those without CRT. However, regardless of sex, those treated with CRT had a lower O sub(2)max compared to non-CRT treated (p = 0.05). In conclusion, in women but not men, CRT is associated with lower CRF, higher levels of abdominal fat, elevated systemic inflammation, and therefore greater health risk.
ISSN:1066-7814