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Late effects and quality of life of childhood cancer survivors: Part 2. Impact of radiotherapy

International Journal of Hematology volume 92, pages 95–104 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

To examine the late effects and health-related quality of life of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) after radiotherapy (RT), we performed a cross-sectional survey using self-rating questionnaires. The subjects were divided into 3 groups: CCS treated with or without RT, and a general population matched for age, gender, residential area, and work status. The numbers in each group were 113, 72, and 1,000, respectively. The median ages of CCS at diagnosis and the time of the survey were 8 and 22 years, respectively. The mean final heights of males and females were significantly lower in CCS with RT than in the other 2 groups. Risk factors for a short stature were total body irradiation (TBI) [odds ratio (OR) 17.8, p < 0.001], spinal irradiation (OR 8.31, p = 0.033), and an age younger than 10 years at diagnosis. Late effects were observed in 68% of CCS with RT compared with 36% of CCS without RT. Multivariate analysis revealed that TBI was significantly associated with endocrine dysfunction (OR 12.3), skull and spinal irradiation with cognitive dysfunction (OR 16.1 and 11.5, respectively), and spinal irradiation with a short stature (OR 14.1), respectively. Physical dysfunction, psychological stress, and problems of social adaptation were observed in >50% of CCS with RT.

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Acknowledgments

The institutions that provided patient data and recruited CCS to the survey are listed in Table 1. This study was supported by research grants from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Grant No. 18-14: “Study of quality of life and prognosis in childhood cancer survivors and establishment of a long-term follow-up system”).

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no financial interests.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, St. Luke’s International Hospital, 10-1 Akashi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0044, Japan

    Yasushi Ishida

  2. Department of Epidemiology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan

    Naoko Sakamoto

  3. Department of Family Nursing, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Kiyoko Kamibeppu

  4. Department of Health Policy, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan

    Naoko Kakee

  5. Department of Hemato-oncology, Kagawa Children’s Hospital, Kagawa, Japan

    Tsuyako Iwai

  6. Department of Pediatrics, Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan

    Shuichi Ozono & Hiroko Inada

  7. Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Research Center, Nagoya Medical Center, Aichi, Japan

    Naoko Maeda & Keizo Horibe

  8. Institute for Clinical Research, National Kyusyu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan

    Jun Okamura

  9. Department of Pediatrics, Niigata Cancer Center Hospital, Niigata, Japan

    Keiko Asami

  10. Department of Pediatrics, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan

    Yasushi Ishida & Misato Honda

Authors
  1. Yasushi Ishida
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  2. Naoko Sakamoto
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  3. Kiyoko Kamibeppu
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  4. Naoko Kakee
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  5. Tsuyako Iwai
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  6. Shuichi Ozono
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  7. Naoko Maeda
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  8. Jun Okamura
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  9. Keiko Asami
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  10. Hiroko Inada
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  11. Misato Honda
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  12. Keizo Horibe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yasushi Ishida.

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Ishida, Y., Sakamoto, N., Kamibeppu, K. et al. Late effects and quality of life of childhood cancer survivors: Part 2. Impact of radiotherapy. Int J Hematol 92, 95–104 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-010-0611-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-010-0611-z

Keywords

  • Radiotherapy
  • Radiation
  • Late effects
  • Childhood cancer survivors
  • Quality of life