A new report sheds light on how the "war on cancer" is being lost:
QUOTE: ...Dr. Caron and colleagues conducted a study to assess the total burden of adverse health outcomes (adverse events) following childhood cancer and evaluated treatment-related risk factors. The study included 1,362 five-year survivors of childhood cancer treated in a single institution in the Netherlands between 1966 and 1996. All survivors were invited to a clinic for medical assessment of adverse events. Medical follow-up was completed for 94.3 percent of survivors (median [midpoint] follow-up, 17.0 years). At the end of follow-up the median age of the survivors was 24.4 years, with 88 percent of survivors younger than 35 years.
The researchers found that of the 1,362 survivors, 19.8 percent had no adverse events, 74.5 percent had one or more events and 24.6 percent had five or more events. Additionally, 36.8 percent of the survivors had at least one severe or life-threatening or disabling disorder, and 3.2 percent died due to an adverse event. Almost 22 percent of adverse events were severe, life-threatening or disabling, or caused death. Of those events, orthopedic disorders occurred most often, followed by second tumors, obesity, fertility disorders, psychosocial or cognitive disorders, neurologic disorders and endocrine disorders.
Of all patients treated with radiotherapy only, 55 percent had a high or severe burden of events (defined as at least two severe events or one or more life-threatening or disabling event), compared with 15 percent of patients treated with chemotherapy only and 25 percent of patients who had surgery only. Survivors of bone tumors most often had a high or severe burden of events (64 percent), while survivors of leukemia or Wilms tumor (tumor of the kidney) least often had a high or severe burden of events (12 percent each).
"In conclusion, childhood cancer survivors are at increased risk of many severe health problems, resulting in a high burden of disease during young adulthood. This will inevitably affect the survivors' quality of life and also will ultimately reduce their life expectancy... UNQUOTE.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070626115406.htm |
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