Characteristics and outcome of adult patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia and increased body mass index treated with the PETHEMA Protocols

Objective: The obesity/overweight may have an influence on APL outcomes. Methods: This is the biggest multicentre analysis on 1320 APL patients treated with AIDA-induction and risk-adapted consolidation between 1996 and 2012. Patients body mass index (BMI) was classified as underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.5-25 kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥30 kg/m2) according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Results and conclusions: Relationship between male gender, older age, and other known laboratory abnormalities in overweight/obese patients was significant. The induction mortality rate was significantly higher in APL with BMI ≥25 vs BMI <25 (10% vs 6%; P =.04). APL patients with BMI ≥25 had a trend to lower OS (74% vs 80%; P =.06). However, in the multivariate analysis, BMI did not retain the independent predictive value (P =.46). There was no higher incidence of differentiation syndrome with BMI ≥25, but there was a trend in obese. There was no difference in relapse rate according to the BMI. In summary, overweight/obesity does not represent an independent risk factor for APL outcomes. The influence of obesity in APL patients treated with chemotherapy-free regimens remains to be established.

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