Dataset Information

Late somatic sequelae after treatment of childhood cancer in Slovenia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

This is a long-term follow-up clinical study of adolescents and adults, survivors of childhood cancer. We evaluate and analyze the late somatic sequelae of childhood cancer treatment. Many such studies are susceptible to a strong selection bias, i.e., they employ a limited non-systematic sample of patients, based on a clinical hospital that provided the cancer treatment or performed the follow-up. To address the issue of selection bias, we perform here an analysis of late sequelae on a systematic database of the entire population of the children treated for cancer in Slovenia. Due to the specifics of cancer treatment procedures in Slovenia, they have all been treated and followed-up in the same clinic.

Methods

The data are based on the centralized registry of cancer patients in Slovenia and present a controlled and homogeneous collection. Late sequelae are evaluated following a modified CTCAE, i.e., the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0. We use survival analysis method to estimate the incidence of and risk for late sequelae, where the time variable is measured in years from the diagnosis date, while we follow the event of incidence of late sequelae scored other than none. Survival analysis is performed using Kaplan Meier estimator and Cox regression model.

Results

The incidence of mild, moderate, or severe late sequelae of childhood cancer treatment significantly decreased from 75% in the group of patients diagnosed before 1975 to 55% for those diagnosed after 1995. The Cox regression analysis of the risk factors for the incidence of late sequelae identifies three significant factors: treatment modalities, age at diagnosis, and primary diagnosis.

Conclusions

The change of treatment modalities in terms of replacement of surgery and radiotherapy with chemotherapy is the main reason for the decrease of the incidence and the risk for late sequelae of childhood cancer treatment; treatment modalities including surgery significantly increase the risk ratio of late sequelae, while those based on chemotherapy only significantly decreases the risk. Risk of late sequelae increases with the diagnosis age: younger children are more susceptible to late effects of treatment. Finally, primary diagnosis significantly influences the risk for late sequelae, but mostly due to the dependency of the treatment modality on the primary diagnosis.

SUBMITTER: Erman N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3444361 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Late somatic sequelae after treatment of childhood cancer in Slovenia.

Erman Nuša N Todorovski Ljupčo L Jereb Berta B

BMC research notes 20120524

<h4>Background</h4>This is a long-term follow-up clinical study of adolescents and adults, survivors of childhood cancer. We evaluate and analyze the late somatic sequelae of childhood cancer treatment. Many such studies are susceptible to a strong selection bias, i.e., they employ a limited non-systematic sample of patients, based on a clinical hospital that provided the cancer treatment or performed the follow-up. To address the issue of selection bias, we perform here an analysis of late sequ ...[more]

PMID: 22624861

Similar Datasets

Project description:ImportanceChildren undergoing treatment for leukemia are at increased risk of severe sepsis, a dysregulated immune response to infection leading to acute organ dysfunction. As cancer survivors, they face a high burden of long-term adverse effects. The association between sepsis during anticancer therapy and long-term organ dysfunction in adult survivors of childhood cancer has not been examined.ObjectiveTo determine whether severe sepsis during therapy for leukemia in childhood is associated with subsequent chronic health conditions in adult survivors.Design, setting, and participantsThis cohort study included 644 adult survivors of childhood leukemia who were diagnosed between January 1, 1985, and July 19, 2010, and participated in the St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study. Participants were excluded if they received hematopoietic cell transplant or had relapsed leukemia. Data collection ended June 30, 2017. Data were analyzed from July 1, 2020, to January 5, 2024.ExposuresSevere sepsis episodes, defined according to consensus criteria as septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or multiorgan dysfunction associated with infection occurring during anticancer therapy, were abstracted by medical record review for all participants.Main outcomes and measuresCommon Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events-defined chronic health condition outcomes were independently abstracted. Associations between sepsis and cumulative incidence of chronic health conditions (eg, cardiovascular, pulmonary, kidney, neurological, and neurocognitive outcomes) were compared by adjusted hazard ratios from Cox proportional hazards logistic regression. Inverse propensity score weighting was used to adjust for potential confounders, including age, year of diagnosis, and leukemia type.ResultsThe study sample consisted of 644 adult survivors of pediatric leukemia (329 women [51.1%] and 315 men [48.9%]; including 56 with a history of acute myeloid leukemia and 585 with a history of acute lymphoblastic leukemia) who were most recently evaluated at a median age of 24.7 (IQR, 21.2-28.3) years at a median time after leukemia diagnosis of 17.3 (IQR, 13.7-21.9) years. Severe sepsis during treatment of acute childhood leukemia occurred in 46 participants (7.1%). Participants who experienced severe sepsis during treatment were more likely to develop moderate to severe neurocognitive impairment (29 of 46 [63.0%] vs 310 of 598 [51.8%]; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.86 [95% CI, 1.61-2.16]; P < .001) significantly affecting attention, executive function, memory and visuospatial domains. Sepsis was not associated with long-term risk of cardiovascular, pulmonary, kidney, or neurological chronic health conditions.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of long-term outcomes in survivors of pediatric leukemia, severe sepsis during anticancer therapy for leukemia was associated with a selectively increased risk for development of serious neurocognitive sequelae. Efforts to reduce the effects of anticancer therapy on long-term function and quality of life in survivors might include prevention of severe sepsis during therapy and early detection or amelioration of neurocognitive deficits in survivors of sepsis.

Project description:BackgroundHigh-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) is used in the treatment of different childhood cancers, including leukemia, the most common cancer type and is commonly defined as an intravenous dose of at least 1 g/m2 body surface area per application. A systematic review on late effects on different organs due to HD-MTX is lacking.MethodWe conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, including studies published in English or German between 1985 and 2020. The population of each study had to consist of at least 75% childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) who had completed the cancer treatment at least twelve months before late effects were assessed and who had received HD-MTX. The literature search was not restricted to specific cancer diagnosis or organ systems at risk for late effects. We excluded case reports, case series, commentaries, editorial letters, poster abstracts, narrative reviews and studies only reporting prevalence of late effects. We followed PRISMA guidelines, assessed the quality of the eligible studies according to GRADE criteria and registered the protocol on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020212262).ResultsWe included 15 out of 1731 identified studies. Most studies included CCSs diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 12). The included studies investigated late effects of HD-MTX on central nervous system (n = 10), renal (n = 2) and bone health (n = 3). Nine studies showed adverse outcomes in neuropsychological testing in exposed compared to non-exposed CCSs, healthy controls or reference values. No study revealed lower bone density or worse renal function in exposed CCSs. As a limitation, the overall quality of the studies per organ system was low to very low, mainly due to selection bias, missing adjustment for important confounders and low precision.ConclusionsCCSs treated with HD-MTX might benefit from neuropsychological testing, to intervene early in case of abnormal results. Methodological shortcomings and heterogeneity of the tests used made it impossible to determine the most appropriate test. Based on the few studies on renal function and bone health, regular screening for dysfunction seems not to be justified. Only screening for neurocognitive late effects is warranted in CCSs treated with HD-MTX.

Project description:BackgroundThe proportion of pediatric and adolescent cancer patients surviving 5 years has increased during the past four decades. This growing population of survivors remains at risk for disease- and treatment-associated late mortality.MethodsA total of 20 483 five-year survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer diagnosed between January 1, 1970, and December 31, 1986, and enrolled in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) were included in a National Death Index search for deaths occurring between January 1, 1979, and December 31, 2002. Treatment information was abstracted from primary medical records. Survival probabilities, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and absolute excess risks were calculated for overall and cause-specific deaths. Diagnosis- and sex-specific survival probabilities were estimated by the product-limit method. All statistical tests were two-sided.ResultsAmong the CCSS cohort, 2821 (13.8%) 5-year survivors had died by the end of the follow-up period. The cause of death was obtained for 2534 individuals, with 57.5% of deaths attributed to recurrent disease. Estimated probability of survival 30 years from diagnosis was 82%. When compared with the US population, the absolute excess risk of death from any cause was 7.36 deaths per 1000 person-years. The overall SMR was 8.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.0 to 8.7). Increases in cause-specific mortality were seen for deaths due to subsequent malignancy (SMR = 15.2, 95% CI = 13.9 to 16.6) and cardiac (SMR = 7.0, 95% CI = 5.9 to 8.2), pulmonary (SMR = 8.8, 95% CI = 6.8 to 11.2), and other medical (SMR = 2.6, 95% CI = 2.3 to 3.0) causes. At 20 years of follow-up (25 years after first cancer diagnosis), the death rate due to a subsequent malignancy exceeded that due to all other causes.ConclusionOur extended follow-up of 5-year survivors of pediatric and adolescent cancer indicates that excess mortality persists long after diagnosis. Continued observation is needed to further define lifetime risk and to determine the potential contribution of chronic health conditions and modifiable health behaviors.

Project description:BackgroundFor survivors of childhood cancer, awareness of personal health risks is a critical component of long-term health management.ObjectiveTo evaluate the awareness of the diagnosis, treatment and risk of late effects among survivors of childhood cancer in Hong Kong.MethodsBetween June 2019 and March 2020, this cross-sectional study recruited 155 adult survivors (mean age = 26.9, standard deviation [SD] = 6.4 years) and 45 parents of paediatric survivors (mean age = 11.1, SD = 3.6 years) from a long-term follow-up clinic. At >10 years post-treatment (mean = 13.4, SD = 7.6 years), they completed a structured questionnaire to report their cancer-specific knowledge. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify clinical, socioeconomic and behavioural factors associated with poor awareness.ResultsThe majority of participants accurately recalled their diagnoses (73.5%) and major treatment modalities (chemotherapy 92.4%, radiation 82.9% and surgery 88.2%). However, less than half (45%) of the participants recognized more than 25% of the total late effects for which they were at risk. The highest levels of awareness were reported for endocrine problems (49%), neurocognitive impairment (44%) and secondary cancers (43%), and the lowest for peripheral neuropathy (21%) and vision problems (23%). Compared with survivors of haematological malignancies, those of central nervous system (CNS) tumours (standardized estimate [B] = -9.33, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: -13.41 to -5.26) and non-CNS solid tumours (B = -8.47, 95% CI: -12.39 to -4.94) had less knowledge about their diagnosis. Retaining medical records (P < .0001) and better medical information-seeking habits (P = .048) were associated with better awareness.ConclusionsSurvivors of childhood cancer in Hong Kong have deficient awareness of their personal health risks. They may benefit from the provision of a survivorship care plan and personalized education regarding treatment-related late effects.Patient contributionPatients contributed in designing the study tools. Results were presented at a non-governmental organization.

Dataset Information

Late somatic sequelae after treatment of childhood cancer in Slovenia.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Late somatic sequelae after treatment of childhood cancer in Slovenia.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets