Nutrition and stem cell transplantation
Dr Susannah King and Sarah Fagan completed a pilot study investigating body composition and energy expenditure in stem cell transplant (SCT) patients with the use of indirect calorimetry.
Body mass index and fat-free mass stores decreased significantly between baseline (prior to SCT conditioning treatment) and day 100 post SCT, indicating that even three months post-transplant, nutritional recovery has not begun.
Resting energy expenditure was significantly elevated at baseline but fell by day 100, possibly related to the reduction in fat-free mass stores. A larger study is planned to extend these investigations to include autologous SCT recipients.