The cumulative burden of surviving childhood cancer: an initial report from the St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (SJLIFE)

Due to curative treatment related exposures, survivors of childhood cancer are at increased risk of a wide range of chronic health conditions (CHCs). This retrospective cohort study aimed to describe the cumulative burden of cancer therapy in an aging population of long-term survivors of childhood cancer. 168 CHCs were graded for severity. The cumulative incidence of CHCs at aged 50 years was 99.9% for grade 1-5 CHCs and 96.0%  grade 3-5 CHCs. The cumulative burden of matched community controls was significantly lower, at 9.2% for grade 1-5 CHCs and 2.3% for grade 3-5 CHCs. These findings provide quantitative data on the excess burden of disease in childhood cancer survivors and highlight the need for a comprehensive model of care in a primary care setting for this medically complex population.   Read the full article here.