Individuals who beat cancer as children could have an increased risk of obesity as a result of the treatments they were given.

Recent findings highlight the need for weight loss interventions and counseling for survivors of certain childhood cancers, Wiley reported. Past research has linked obesity and survival of certain childhood cancers who were exposed to cranial radiation, which prevents the spread of cancer to the brain.

To make their findings, researchers looked at 1,996 survivors who were previously treated for cancer at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and who had been diagnosed with cancer at least a decade ago. They noticed that 47 percent of these survivors who received cranial radiation were obese, compared with only 29.4 percent of survivors who had not received the treatment. The likelihood of obesity proved to increase among survivors who were treated with cranial radiation and who had also been given glucocorticoids. Gene variants associated with neurons' growth, repair, and connectivity were also linked to higher obesity rates among survivors who has received cranial radiation. Finally, those who had been treated with chest, abdominal, or pelvic radiation were half as likely to struggle with obesity as those who did not receive those treatments.

"Also, the ability to identify patients at increased risk may guide selection of therapeutic protocols that will maximize treatment outcomes while simultaneously minimizing the risk of long-term complications among children diagnosed with cancer," said Kirsten Ness of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Cancer.