High Rates of Obesity at Presentation Persist into Survivorship across Childhood Cancer Types.

Subtypes of pediatric oncology patients and childhood cancer survivors who are overweight or obese have worse prognosis than their healthy-weighted peers. Several studies have examined weight status in either pediatric patients or survivors with acute leukemia, but few have compared these data across various diagnoses. We examined BMI from oncology diagnosis or presentation, through treatment, and into survivorship across the most common cancer types seen in pediatric oncology. Patients were categorized into three oncologic diagnoses: leukemia and lymphoma ( = 69), neural tumors ( = 80), and non-neural solid tumors ( = 80) at yearly intervals over the course of 11 years. To allow for comparisons across age groups, BMI percentiles were calculated with <5th percentile classified as underweight ( = 11), the 5th-84th percentile classified as a healthy weight ( = 129), and above the 85th percentile classified as overweight and obese ( = 87). At presentation, 45.6% of leukemia and lymphoma patients were overweight or obese, and 44.3% of neural tumor patients were overweight or obese. These high obesity rates persisted into survivorship. Compared to the non-neural tumor group, the leukemia and lymphoma group had a significant increase in BMI percentile over time, while the neural tumor group did not. Pediatric patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and neural tumors and who are overweight or obese at presentation continue this trend into survivorship, indicating a need for management of overweight and obesity through lifestyle interventions concurrent with therapy.