In a Journal of Bone and Mineral Research study that followed 186 children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) for 6 years after initiation of chemotherapy, approximately 1 in 5 children experienced a non-vertebral fracture and 1 in 3 had a new vertebral fracture.
In a Journal of Bone and Mineral Research study that followed 186 children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) for 6 years after initiation of chemotherapy, approximately 1 in 5 children experienced a non-vertebral fracture and 1 in 3 had a new vertebral fracture.
Vertebral fractures were asymptomatic in 39 percent of the children, and approximately 25 percent persisted as vertebral deformities. Older children and those with more severe vertebral collapse were more likely to have persistent vertebral deformity.
Vertebral fractures soon after diagnosis were strong predictors of both vertebral and non-vertebral fractures, and most of the fractures occurred in the first two years of treatment.
“In revealing that vertebral fractures are frequent in children with ALL on chemotherapy, and that older children and those with more severe collapse are at risk for residual vertebral deformities, strategies to prevent vertebral fractures in those at greatest risk for permanent sequelae now merit further study,” said lead author Dr. Leanne Ward, of Pediatrics Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Additional Information
Link to Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jbmr.3447
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The JBMR publishes highly competitive original manuscripts, reviews, and special articles in basic and clinical science relevant to bone, muscle and mineral metabolism. Manuscripts are published on the biology and physiology of bone and muscle, relevant systems biology topics (e.g. osteoimmunology), and the pathophysiology and treatment of sarcopenia and disorders of bone and mineral metabolism.
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