Effects Of Intensive Chemotherapy On Insulin-like Growth Factor Axis And Growth In Children With Acute Leukemia

Objective In order to investigate the change of insulin-like growth factor I(IGFs) axis in children with acute leukemia, and the effects of chemotherapy alone, especially intensive chemotherapy on growth, the serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) at two different point; at diagnosis and 6 months after beginning therapy in children with acute leukemia) their height, growth velocity and weight were recorded in the meantime respectively.Subject The study population included 24 children with acute leukemia from the department of pedieatrics hematology in the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College Qing-dao University. The normal control group was healthy children without endocrinological diseases and nutritional disease*. The ratio of sex and age between the study group and normal control group was no different.Methods Height and weight were recorded using standard techniques. In the meantime, the growth velocity of height was calculated. The serum IGF-I level was measured by specific radioimmunoassays (RIA)?the serum IGFBP-3 level by immuno-radiossays (IRMA). The data of height, growth velocity, weight and serum concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were expressed as median ?standard deviation. Comparisons between two group were used by Student's test. Correlations were determined by linear regression analysis.Results The serum concentrations of IGF-I were significantly lower in children with acute leukemia at diagnosis, than the normal controls (t = 2. 714, P<0. 01). The serum concentrations of IGF-I was still lower at 6 months after beginning therapy than the normal controls (.1 = 1, 357, P<0. 05). The serum concentrations of IGF-I was not significantly different between at diagnosis and at 6 months after beginning therapy (t = 0.324, P>0. 05). The serum concentrations of IGFBP-3 were significantly lower inchildren with acute leukemia before initiation of therapy than the normal controls (t = 3. 311, P<0. 01). The serum concentrations of IGFBP-3 was not significantly different between at 6 months after beginning therapy and the control group (t = 0. 358, P> 0.05). The serum concentrations of IGFBP-3 were significantly lower in children with acute leukemia before initiation of therapy than at 6 months after beginning therapy (t= 3.036, P