Bone Abstracts

Objectives: Children during the intensive treatment of cancer might be exposed to vitamin D deficiency and consequently leads to, among other things, bone deficits and low bone mass. The aim of this study was: i) to assess the serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) in children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at two time points (time of diagnosis and just after induction treatment), ii) to evaluate the impact of used drugs on the changes of 25-OH-D concentration in the first phase of ALL treatment.

Methods: Blood samples were obtained for 27 children treated for ALL (17 boys, ten girls) in 2013 to 2014 in north-eastern region of Poland. Assessment of 25-OH-D concentrations were carried out before start of treatment and just after end of intensive therapy (at the beginning of maintenance treatment). Statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon rank sum test.

Results: Median age at diagnosis and after intensive treatment was 3.15 and 3.84 years respectively. 44% were vitamin D-insuficient (20–30 ng/ml) while 44% were vitamin D-deficient (level <20 ng/ml), only three patients (12%) had a sufficient level of 25-OH-D. Analysis for paired observations did not show any significant differences in time for mean concentration of 25-OH-D (22.67±10.8 vs 23.9±10.1; P<0.05).

Conclusion: The prevalence of 25-OH-D insufficiency or deficiency in children diagnosed with ALL is high. It seems that the intensive phase of ALL treatment do not influence on level of vitamin D. However, further studies in this field is needed.

Disclosure: The authors declared no competing interests.