(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Adults who’ve survived childhood cancer must remain
vigilant to stay healthy in the future.
A new study finds these patients have a higher risk for both cancer and heart
disease.
Researchers from Brenner Children’s Hospital at Wake Forest Baptist Medical
Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., looked at data on nearly 2,000 people who
survived Hodgkin’s Lymphoma as children. All were first diagnosed between 1970
and 1986.
“The bottom-line message is that a portion of those who survive Hodgkin’s
Lymphoma continue to have significant health needs beyond their five-year cure
mark,” said Sharon Castellino, M.D., a pediatric oncologist.
Over the ensuing years, 320 people died and 30 percent had a recurrence of the
cancer. Twenty-six percent had a second type of cancer and 19 percent had a
heart attack or stroke. Among men, those who received higher doses of
chemotherapy drugs that included anthracyclines were more likely to die. Among
women, radiation therapy was linked to increased risk of early mortality.
Cardiovascular deaths were increased in men, while cancer was responsible for
deaths in both sexes. Breast cancer was the most frequent secondary cancer in
women.
The authors believe these findings suggest more needs to be done to catch
subsequent cancers earlier in these survivors and to develop specific
recommendations aimed at keeping their hearts healthier. They specifically note
30 percent of the survivors in the study had reported smoking at some point in
their lives.
While radiation doses have declined in children with the disease since the
individuals in this study were treated, researchers also plan to pinpoint the
changes that occur with radiation. The goal is to find ways to minimize or stop
the damage before it starts.
SOURCE: Presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, May 31,
2008
