Chemotherapy alone or HSCT after reduced-intensity conditioning for patients with malignant hematologic diseases are not associated to metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional observational study.

The relationship between treatment for hematologic malignancies and risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MS) is controversial; in addition, metabolic changes following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an area of growing interest. We documented the presence of MS in patients with hematological malignancies treated with chemotherapy and HSCT. Nutritional status, anthropometrics, and pertinent laboratory parameters were used to evaluate the presence of MS using the Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III) criteria. In the study, 115 patients were included. Using ATP III criteria, MS was identified in 42 (44.7%) patients treated only with chemotherapy and in 8 (33.3%) patients with an HSCT. There was an important but not significant difference in the mean fasting glucose, which was higher in the chemotherapy group (108.32 ± 54.28 vs. 94.48 ± 18.25, P = 0.300). Mean values of biochemical markers and blood pressure were not different between the groups. An increase in central obesity in men with hematological diseases in comparison to the rest of the population was also found (46.7% vs 32.4%). There was no difference in the prevalence of MS between patients with hematologic malignancies receiving an HSCT and those treated with chemotherapy alone.