Serum lipid alterations in acute lymphoblastic leukemia of childhood.

Epidemiologic studies have indicated a relationship between serum lipids and cancer, and it is possible that lipid abnormalities are involved in the mechanism of oncogenesis. This study was performed to investigate serum lipid alterations in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at diagnosis and during remission of the disease. Plasma lipids and lipoproteins were measured at diagnosis, prior to the administration of induction treatment, and every 2 months for the first 12 months of the maintenance phase of chemotherapy in 64 patients with ALL. Nearly all patients demonstrated a predictable pattern of serum lipid alterations that consisted of extremely low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, and elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Patients studied again during remission demonstrated a return to normal values, and the difference was statistically significant. The results suggest that at diagnosis of ALL an abnormality in lipid metabolism is present, which is reversed during remission.