TY - JOUR

T1 - Serial Ultrasound Monitoring for Early Recognition of Asparaginase Associated Pancreatitis in Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

AU - Raja, Raheel Altaf

AU - Schmiegelow, K.

AU - Henriksen, Birthe Merete

AU - Leth Frandsen, Thomas

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - BACKGROUND: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children and L-asparaginase is an essential component of the treatment. Cessation of L-asparaginase decreases event free survival. Acute pancreatitis is the toxicity that most commonly results in cessation of L-asparaginase. We tested whether serial ultrasound examinations could predict asparaginase-associated pancreatitis (AAP).METHODS: Children (aged 1.0-17.9 years) with childhood ALL treated at the University Hospital Rigshopitalet, Copenhagen, according to the standard or intermediate risk arms of the NOPHO ALL2008 protocol, with PEG-asparaginase of 2 or 6 week intervals, for 30 weeks had their pancreas monitored using serial ultrasound in order to detect early signs of inflammation.RESULTS: Nineteen of 31 eligible patients were included. Three of the included patients developed AAP. None of the patients, including the three patients that developed AAP, had signs of inflammatory edema or pancreas enzymes above three times the upper normal limit prior to AAP.CONCLUSION: We found no signs of inflammatory edema within the pancreas on ultrasound during treatment with PEG-asparginase in our cohort prior to development of AAP or in patients that did not develop AAP.

AB - BACKGROUND: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children and L-asparaginase is an essential component of the treatment. Cessation of L-asparaginase decreases event free survival. Acute pancreatitis is the toxicity that most commonly results in cessation of L-asparaginase. We tested whether serial ultrasound examinations could predict asparaginase-associated pancreatitis (AAP).METHODS: Children (aged 1.0-17.9 years) with childhood ALL treated at the University Hospital Rigshopitalet, Copenhagen, according to the standard or intermediate risk arms of the NOPHO ALL2008 protocol, with PEG-asparaginase of 2 or 6 week intervals, for 30 weeks had their pancreas monitored using serial ultrasound in order to detect early signs of inflammation.RESULTS: Nineteen of 31 eligible patients were included. Three of the included patients developed AAP. None of the patients, including the three patients that developed AAP, had signs of inflammatory edema or pancreas enzymes above three times the upper normal limit prior to AAP.CONCLUSION: We found no signs of inflammatory edema within the pancreas on ultrasound during treatment with PEG-asparginase in our cohort prior to development of AAP or in patients that did not develop AAP.

U2 - 10.3109/08880018.2015.1055868

DO - 10.3109/08880018.2015.1055868

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26270775

VL - 32

SP - 474

EP - 481

JO - European Paediatric Haematology and Oncology

JF - European Paediatric Haematology and Oncology

SN - 0888-0018

IS - 7

ER -