Weight Loss Intervention before Cord Blood Transplantation in an Obese Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Case Study

Abstract

Background: A severely obese woman (39.8 kg/m2 ) with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia was admitted to our hospital to undergo salvage chemotherapy followed by cord blood transplantation (CBT). Case: During the salvage chemotherapy period, a 70-day weight loss program addressing diet and exercise was administered. After the 70-day intervention, the patient’s body weight and body fat mass had decreased (8.6% and 15.0%, respectively) without any adverse events. The number of available cord blood units with total nucleated cells per body weight greater than 2 × 107 /kg was zero at admission and two after weight loss; therefore, CBT could be performed. Discussion: Considering this case, we suggest that a weight loss program combining exercise and nutrition therapy may help patients scheduled for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation by focusing on risk management.