Childhood cancer survivors are at a higher risk of developing heart diseases and atherosclerosis later because their arteries undergo certain changes when being treated for their illness.
Cancer is a disease for life and a new study has proven this yet again. Even treatments that cure the disease are not enough to eradicate the problem completely. Survivors are often found facing the brunt of these harsh treatments later in life. In a new study, it was discovered that childhood cancer survivors are at a higher risk of developing heart diseases and atherosclerosis. This is probably because their arteries undergo certain changes when being treated for their illness, according to a press statement by the study authors.
"Research has shown childhood cancer survivors face heart and other health problems decades after treatment," said Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., study lead author and a kinesiology professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "But researchers had not, until now, looked at the heart health effects of childhood cancer treatment while survivors are still children."
For the study, researchers measured artery stiffness, thickness and function in 319 U.S. boys and girls, aged between 9 and18, who had survived leukemia or cancerous tumors. Participants had survived 5 years or longer since their initial cancer diagnosis. They then compared their observations to similar data from 201 siblings who were not cancer survivors.
This comparison led to the discovery that premature heart disease, as demonstrated by a decline in arterial function, was more likely among the children who survived cancer. They also found that childhood leukemia survivors had a 9 percent decrease in arterial health after completing chemotherapy compared to children without cancer.
"Given this increased risk, children who survive cancer should make lifestyle changes to lower their cardiovascular risk," Dengel said. "Healthcare providers who are managing chemotherapy-treated childhood cancer survivors need to monitor cardiovascular risk factors immediately following the completion of their patients' cancer therapy."
Dengel clarified that the children of the study were all whites so he's not sure how far the findings of this study holds true for other racial and ethnic groups. He also said that because each childhood cancer survivor underwent different treatments for their illness, he was unable to attribute the risk increase to a specific chemotherapy agent.
Cancer remains the second leading cause of death. Late detection of the disease is what makes the disease all the more fatal. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released a report in September revealing there has been a drop in the number of cancer deaths in the United States. Nonetheless, almost 14 million people in the U.S. today are cancer survivors, according to the American Association for Cancer Research's Cancer Progress Report 2013.
