[A case of acute myeloid leukemia in an obese patient--determining the therapeutic dose of anticancer drugs].

Currently, there is no consensus to determine whether the therapeutic doses of anticancer drugs should be based on the actual or the ideal body weight of obese cancer patients. We performed induction and consolidation chemotherapy at doses calculated by using the actual body weight of an obese patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A 47-year-old Japanese man presented with pancytopenia at our hospital, and he was diagnosed with AML (FAB classification M0). At the initial diagnosis, the patient was 170 cm tall and weighed 132 kg; therefore, his body surface area was 2.37 m(2). His performance status and organ functions were quite good. The calculations for determining doses of anticancer drugs required were based on his actual body weight. He received induction chemotherapy and achieved complete remission. Subsequently, he was treated with 4 courses of consolidation chemotherapy. Febrile neutropenia was a complication during each course, and it was relieved via myeloid recovery. Chemotherapy was administered every 4-5 weeks, except for the second course where platelet recovery was prolonged, and the prescribed treatment was completed. The guidelines of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommend that physicians routinely use an obese patient's actual body weight to calculate the appropriate doses of almost all chemotherapy drugs. Therefore, the ease and compromised usage of under-dosing because of heaviness owing to obesity should be avoided.