WASHINGTON-Long-term survivors of childhood cancer are indistinguishable from their peers.
So it would seem from two studies presented at research meetings here. Pregnancy outcome was normal in a Roswell Park review of 405 survivors, and an NIH collaborative survey found leukemia survivors' health similar to their siblings'.
Among 152 liveborn offspring recorded by the Buffalo investigators, the frequency of congenital anomalies was just 3.3%. No cancer has been diagnosed in any of the children. Dr. Daniel M. Green told the AmericanAssociation for Cancer Research.
The team evaluated the childbearing experiences of survivors of five years or longer of any cancer. Among 54 women, there were 84 full-term pregnancies and eight premature births. Spouses of 37 men reported 58 term births, two premature, and one stillborn. The pregnancies were completed one to 26 years after chemotherapy.
The NIH study surveyed 409 adult brothers and sisters of 593 ALL survivors in childhood.
Survivors felt they'd had significantly more health problems than had siblings, including diabetes (6%), seizures (6%), hypothyroidism (3%), thyroid nodules (3%), other endocrine problems (3%), and osteoporosis (3%), Dr. H. Stacy Nicholson told the Society for Pediatric Research.
But at the time of the interview, the only health differences reported were slightly higher rates of hypertension for survivors (2.9% vs. 1%) and liver problems (1.7% vs. 0.3%). Survivors and kin viewed their current health similarly, with 91.5% of the survivors judging it good or excellent, vs. 92.7% of their brothers or sisters.
WASHINGTON-Long-term survivors of childhood cancer are indistinguishable from their peers.
