Childhood cancer survivors at risk of premature death – KFDA …
By Steven ReinbergHealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) — Childhood cancer casts a long shadow. Those who survive the original cancer are at high risk of dying prematurely decades afterward from new cancers, heart disease and stroke likely caused by the cancer treatment itself, British researchers report.
Although more children are surviving cancer, many have long-term risks of dying prematurely from other diseases. These excess deaths, the researchers say, may be related to late complications of treatment, such as the long-term effects of radiation and chemotherapy.
Equally troubling is that many older survivors are not being monitored for these problems, the researchers added.
Compared to the general population, excess deaths may result from new primary cancers and circulatory disease that surface up to 45 years after a childhood cancer diagnosis, said lead researcher Raoul C. Reulen of the Center for Childhood Cancer Survivor Studies at the University of Birmingham.
Reulen noted that while the risk of death from the effects of new cancers and cancer treatments increases with age, many of the most vulnerable survivors are not monitored for these life-threatening health problems.
“In terms of absolute risk, older survivors are most at risk of dying of a second primary cancer and circulatory disease, yet are less likely to be on active follow-up,” he said. “This suggests that survivors should be able to access health care intervention programs even many years” after they pass the mark for five-year survival.
The report is published in the July 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association
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