New research reveals an increased incidence of chronic sickness among cancer survivors
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Cancer in childhood is not necessarily a death sentence, as more and more young people are able to beat the disease every year. But even if they overcome it, childhood cancer can have long-running repercussions.
New research has found that adult survivors of childhood cancer carry a nearly two-fold greater cumulative burden of chronic health problems compared to the general population. Described as the most complete study of its kind to date, it was done by St. Jude’s Research Hospital and published in the Lancet.
Using a statistical method known as cumulative burden, researchers monitored the impact of 168 chronic health conditions on more than 5,500 adults who survived childhood cancer, most of whom were enrolled in a program known as the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study, and 272 volunteers with no history of paediatric cancer.
On average, the paediatric cancer survivors had 17.1 chronic health conditions — including 4.7 severe, disabling, life-threatening, or terminal ones — by the time they were 50. In contrast, the average for the community volunteers was 9.2 chronic health conditions, with 2.3 falling under the previously noted categories.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Research, there are more than 30,000 paediatric cancer survivors in Canada. Statistics Canada has reported that childhood cancer mortality decreased while incidence increased from 1992 to 2010, the most recent period for which the figures were available. Due to improvements in therapies, the survival rate for children diagnosed with cancer has been rising. However, the study from the US provides additional evidence that survivors remain vulnerable even after successful treatment.
“The results suggest that childhood cancer survivors may benefit from the integrated, specialized health care delivery that is being tried for individuals infected with HIV or those with other complex, chronic health problems,” said first author Nickhill Bhakta M. D., an assistant member of the St. Jude Department of Global Pediatric Medicine.
One example of such models is patient-centered medical homes, which are designed to provide comprehensive, coordinated services to address patients’ medical and psychosocial needs.
Related stories:
BC cancer patient warns of difficulty in turning to government programs
Genetics-based treatment against leukaemia gets US approval
New research has found that adult survivors of childhood cancer carry a nearly two-fold greater cumulative burden of chronic health problems compared to the general population. Described as the most complete study of its kind to date, it was done by St. Jude’s Research Hospital and published in the Lancet.
Using a statistical method known as cumulative burden, researchers monitored the impact of 168 chronic health conditions on more than 5,500 adults who survived childhood cancer, most of whom were enrolled in a program known as the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study, and 272 volunteers with no history of paediatric cancer.
On average, the paediatric cancer survivors had 17.1 chronic health conditions — including 4.7 severe, disabling, life-threatening, or terminal ones — by the time they were 50. In contrast, the average for the community volunteers was 9.2 chronic health conditions, with 2.3 falling under the previously noted categories.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Research, there are more than 30,000 paediatric cancer survivors in Canada. Statistics Canada has reported that childhood cancer mortality decreased while incidence increased from 1992 to 2010, the most recent period for which the figures were available. Due to improvements in therapies, the survival rate for children diagnosed with cancer has been rising. However, the study from the US provides additional evidence that survivors remain vulnerable even after successful treatment.
“The results suggest that childhood cancer survivors may benefit from the integrated, specialized health care delivery that is being tried for individuals infected with HIV or those with other complex, chronic health problems,” said first author Nickhill Bhakta M. D., an assistant member of the St. Jude Department of Global Pediatric Medicine.
One example of such models is patient-centered medical homes, which are designed to provide comprehensive, coordinated services to address patients’ medical and psychosocial needs.
Related stories:
BC cancer patient warns of difficulty in turning to government programs
Genetics-based treatment against leukaemia gets US approval
