Recent Survivors of Childhood Cancer Report Worse Health Than Earlier Survivors

By Kelly Young

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

Childhood cancer survivors who were treated in recent decades report worse overall health than those treated earlier, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers note that thanks to better treatment and surveillance, more people who've survived high-risk disease are now included in the survivors group and may have worse overall health.

The study included nearly 15,000 patients who were treated for childhood cancer between 1970 and 1999 and survived at least 5 years.

Survivors who were diagnosed in 1990–99 were more likely to report that they were generally in poor health than those diagnosed in 1970–79 (13.7% vs. 11.2%). Cancer-related anxiety was also more common in the younger group (15.0% vs. 13.3% in the older group). The effects were noted in survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, astrocytoma, medulloblastoma, and osteosarcoma.