ABSTRACT

To investigate the side effects of cytotoxic drugs on bone mineral density in children with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

A cross-sectional study was conducted. The patient group was composed of 31 (6 girls and 25 boys) non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients who had completed their therapy. The control group was composed of 30 (11 girls and 19 boys) healthy children. The bone mineral density of the vertebrae (BMD-V) and femur (BMD-F) and biochemical parameters of bone turnover were studied in both groups.

The patient and control groups were statistically similar in terms of age, sex, body weight, height, pubertal status, and laboratory parameters (p >0.05). Mean bone mineral density values (g/m2) in the patient group were lower than those in the control group, but not significantly so (respectively, BMD-V: 0.574±0.188 g/cm2, BMD-F: 0.658±0.191 g/cm2 vs. BMD-V: 0.644±0.158 g/cm2, BMD-F: 0.718±0.128 g/cm2, p>0.05).

Although there was no significant difference between bone mineral density measurements of the patients and controls, the lower levels of bone density in patients could indicate that the bone mineral density of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma was affected by cytotoxic therapy. This should be taken into consideration in the follow-up of such children.