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What are the long-term consequences of having received cardiotoxic therapy for childhood cancer? To answer this question, researchers enrolled 1800 adults (age, ≥18; median age, 31) who had received anthracycline chemotherapy or cardiac-directed radiation for childhood cancer at least 10 years earlier. Most participants had received treatment for leukemia or lymphoma (67%), and the median time since diagnosis was 23 years. All participants underwent assessments that included history and physical, electrocardiography (ECG), and echocardiography.
Findings from this longitudinal study included:
Prevalence of cardiomyopathy (defined as left ventricular ejection fraction, <50%): 7.4%
Prevalence of coronary artery disease (defined as history of myoc…