Hypomagnesemia and Outcomes in Hematologic Malignancies

Magnesium is an essential mineral and cofactor for hundreds of enzymes and reactions. Magnesium is essential for the regulation of cell growth, division, and differentiation as well as protein synthesis, cell signaling and structural functions [1-3]. Increasing evidence in the literature suggests that low serum magnesium levels are associated with an increase in all-cause mortality in many different diseases including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension [4-6]. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that a magnesium poor diet increases the risk of developing cancer [7,8]. Recently, hypomagnesemia has been associated with inferior survival in patients with Burkitt Lymphoma (BL) prior to undergoing chemotherapy [9]. This suggests that magnesium deficiency may play a role in hematologic malignancies. Currently, magnesium levels are not routinely checked in a new diagnosis of hematologic malignancies. The goal of this work is to stimulate studies to further investigate the role of magnesium in improving outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies.