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TO HEALTH, MEDICAL, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Health gap between adult survivors of childhood cancer and siblings
widens with age
MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Adult
survivors of childhood cancer face significant health problems as they
age and are five times more likely than their siblings to develop new
cancers, heart and other serious health conditions beyond the age of
35, according to the latest findings from the world's largest study of
childhood cancer survivors. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital led
the research, results of which appear in the March 17 issue of the
Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The federally funded Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) found that
the health gap between survivors and their siblings widens with age.
Survivors who were 20 to 34 years old were 3.8 times more likely than
siblings of the same age to have experienced severe, disabling,
life-threatening or fatal health conditions. By age 35 and beyond,
however, survivors were at five-fold greater risk.
By age 50, more than half of childhood cancer survivors had
experienced a life-altering health problem, compared to less than 20
percent of same-aged siblings. More than 22 percent of survivors had
at least two serious health problems and about 10 percent reported
three or more. The problems included new cancers as well as diseases
of the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and hormones.
"Survivors remain at risk for serious health problems into their 40s
and 50s, decades after they have completed treatment for childhood
cancer," said first and corresponding author Gregory Armstrong, M.D.,
an associate member of the St. Jude Department of Epidemiology and
Cancer Control. "In fact, for survivors, the risk of illness and death
increases significantly beyond the age of 35. Their siblings don't
share these same risks."
Among survivors who reached age 35 without serious health problems,
25.9 percent developed a significant health problem in the next
decade. In comparison, 6 percent of siblings developed their first
serious health condition between the ages of 35 and 45.
The study involved 14,359 adult survivors who were treated for a
variety of pediatric cancers at one of 26 U.S. and Canadian medical
centers. The research also included 4,301 siblings. For this study
CCSS investigators focused on 5,604 survivors who have now aged beyond
35 years. The results provide the broadest snapshot yet of how the
first generation of childhood cancer survivors is faring as they age.
The oldest survivors in this study were in their 50s.
The findings highlight the importance of lifelong, risk-based health
care for childhood cancer survivors, Armstrong said. Depending on
their cancer treatment and other risk factors, follow-up care may
include mammograms and other health checks at a younger age than is
recommended for the general public.
These screenings are designed to identify health problems early when
there is a greater chance to prevent illness and preserve health.
Today, St. Jude researchers are studying strategies to educate and
empower survivors to ensure they receive recommended screenings.
Screening guidelines were developed by St. Jude and other members of
the Children's Oncology Group (COG), which includes pediatric cancer
researchers and institutions around the world.
The importance of such efforts is expected to grow along with the
nation's population of childhood cancer survivors. The U.S. is now
home to more than 363,000 pediatric cancer survivors. An overall
long-term pediatric cancer survival rate of 80 percent means the
number of survivors will increase.
The study also adds to evidence that some survivors experience
accelerated aging, possibly due to their cancer treatment. Researchers
are still trying to identify the cause. In this study, 24-year-old
childhood cancer survivors and their 50-year-old siblings reported
similar rates of severe, life-threatening or fatal health problems.
This study involved survivors whose cancer was diagnosed between 1970
and 1986 when they were age 20 or younger. All survived at least five
years. Since then, cancer therapies have evolved and include less
radiation and chemotherapy, both of which can have long-term health
consequences. The CCSS is also studying the health of adult survivors
from a more recent treatment era.
The other study authors are Toana Kawashima, Wendy Leisenring and
Kayla Stratton, all of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,
Seattle; Marilyn Stovall, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center, Houston; Charles Sklar and Kevin Oeffinger, both of Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York; and Melissa Hudson and Leslie
Robison, both of St. Jude.
The research was funded in part by grants (CA55727 and CA21765) from
the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of
Health, and ALSAC.
SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
-0- 03/17/2014
/CONTACT: Summer Freeman, (desk) (901) 595-3061, (cell) (901) 297-9861, summer.freeman@stjude.org; Carrie Strehlau, (desk) (901) 595-2295, (cell) (901) 297-9875, carrie.strehlau@stjude.org
/Web Site: http://www.stjude.org
CO: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
ST: Tennessee
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