How Surviving Cancer As A Child Affects Lifelong Health
Published:25 Nov.2021 Source:University College London
People who survive cancer early in their life have higher risks of ill health as they grow older, and these risks vary according to the cancer type and how the cancer was treated, a new study by researchers at University College London has found. The researchers are now calling for these long-term health effects to be considered when young people and their families discuss treatment options with their healthcare team initially.
The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health -- Europe, found that people who survived cancer had five times as many GP or hospital visits relating to cardiovascular disease by age 45, as a matched control group of people who had not had cancer early in life. They also had much higher numbers of healthcare visits relating to infections, disorders of the immune system, and subsequent cancers.