ABSTRACT
One of the major etiologies of lipid disorders in malignancies is the use of chemotherapy drugs, the most important of which is L-Asparginase. Studies in different centers with high dosages of L-Asparginase demonstrated different results. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of L-Asparginase at a dose of 6000 U/m2 on lipid profile in Iranian children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Mofid Children Hospital of Tehran. We performed a nonrandomized trial in which all children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] aged <15 years participated. Every case serves as his/her own control. The cholesterol, triglyceride [TG], HDL, LDL, VLDL, APOA, APOB and LPa were evaluated in three stages: before, during and 2 months after treatment with L-Asparginase after which the results were compared. In our study, 82 newly ALL diagnosed patients with the mean age of 6 years [within the age range of 0.12-14 and SD of 3.5] were evaluated. Mean seum level of TG in pretreatment stage was 163.9 mg% and during treatment with L-Asparginase 123 mg% demonstrating significant decline in TG serum level after administration of L-Asparginase [p=0.002]. Mean serum level of cholesterol before administration of L-Asparginase was 151mg% and during treatment 140 showing no statistically significant difference [p= 0.061]. LPa level in pretreatment phase was 24mg% and during treatment 14 showing a statistically significant difference [p= 0.0001]. L-Aspar resulted in decline in TG serum level and increase in HDL though with no significant difference in cholesterol level. Overall, L-Asparginase even at a dose of 6000U/M2 does not raise blood level of triglyceride and cholesterol