Monitoring and treatment of acute kidney injury in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after high dose methotrexate chemotherapy

objective To investigate acute kidney injury (AKI) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who received high dose methotrexate (MTX) chemotherapy and explore the corresponding treatment. Methods 180 children who received high dose MTX chemotherapy were observed with serum MTX concentration and serum creatinine. Patients with AKI of stage 3 or poor response to conventional treatment were performed on hemodialysis and assessed the treatment outcome. Results 9 patients (5%) have appeared AKI, including 7 cases of AKI of stage 3. However, there were not any significant correlation between age, gender, serum MTX concentration and AKI, respectively. Compared with normal serum MTX concentration, the patients with high serum MTX concentration easily were developed to AKI, the MTX and serum creatinine concentration had been significantly decreased in 9 patients after hemodialysis. Conclusion AKI has appeared in some children with ALL who receive high dose MTX chemotherapy, and this may due to increase of serum MTX concentration. The monitoring of serum MTX concentration and AKI index could help to find out AKI, and even to prevent the occurrence of it. Furthermore, once AKI is present, those patients with AKI stage 3 or poor response to conventional treatment should be performed on hemodialysis treatment.