Guest guest Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Child cancer survivors face bad health as adults Cure rate is 75 percent, but only 1 in 3 remain healthy, major study finds Reuters http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15224278/ Updated: 10:04 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2006 (excerpts) BOSTON - Surviving childhood cancer has its price. Thirty years after their diagnosis, 40 percent of survivors have a serious health problem and a third have multiple problems, including stroke, heart disease and kidney failure, according to the largest study ever done on cancer survivors who have entered adulthood. Only about one in three remain healthy. The findings are a stark counterpoint to the stunning success of treating many childhood tumors. About 20,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year and while most died 50 years ago, the cure rate is now greater than 75 percent. Treatments blamed for later problemsDoctors have known for years that cancer treatments can spark new tumors later in life. "It is now clear that damage to the organ systems of children caused by chemotherapy and radiation therapy may not become clinically evident for many years," said the research team, led by Kevin Oeffinger of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The survivors were 54 times more likely to have required a major joint replacement, 15 times more likely to have congestive heart failure or develop a second malignant tumor, 10 times more likely to have heart disease or thinking problems, and nine times more likely to have suffered a stroke or kidney failure. The source of the health problems varies. Kidney failure, for example, may come from damage caused directly by chemotherapy or radiation, or from the multiple infections children can develop when cancer treatments hamper their immune system, Oeffinger said. Drugs used to treat those infections may also play a role. © Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15224278/ © 2006 MSNBC.com "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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