News & Views: Survivors of childhood cancer have high rates of morbidity in later life. LInda Vrooman and Lisa Diller DanaFarber BostonChildrens discuss models to predict severe obesity, which could promote early interventions & better long-term care.
Approximately 85% of children diagnosed with cancer will be cured of their primary cancer, but epidemiologic and clinical studies have characterized a significant burden of morbidity, as well as excess early mortality, in survivors.
This burden has largely been attributed to toxic treatment exposures during childhood cancer treatment. Excess cardiovascular-related disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in survivors of childhood cancer, which is associated with exposure to cardiotoxic therapy, such as anthracyclines and therapeutic radiation to the chest