Myosteatosis in adolescents and young adults treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Myosteatosis refers to fat deposition within muscle and is linked to risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. Though these comorbidities are common during and after therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), little is known about tissue distribution, including myosteatosis, in this population. Using quantitative computed tomography, we assessed the impact of ALL therapy on bone, muscle, subcutaneous, and muscle-associated (MA) fat in 12 adolescents and young adults (AYA) treated for ALL as compared to a healthy control group without ALL (n = 116). AYA had a marked loss of muscle with a gain in MA fat between ALL diagnosis and end of induction. These changes persisted throughout intensive therapy. Lower bone and muscle and higher MA fat were also observed during and after treatment in comparison to controls. Altered lower extremity tissue distribution, specifically myosteatosis and sarcopenia, may contribute to functional declines and increased risk of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

Keywords:

• Adipose tissue
• sarcopenia
• pediatric leukemia
• intermuscular fat
• intramuscular fat

Acknowledgements

The study team would like to thank Daniel Lorenzana and Kyle Chadwick for their assistance with data analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. grant from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS-6249-11), Hyundai Hope on Wheels Foundation, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences/NIH (UL1TR000130) via the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, funds from The Saban Research Institute, NIH-NICHD grant 5R01HD059826 from the National Institutes of Health-Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and NIH/NCI 1R01CA201444 from the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute.