A heartbreaking new study found that childhood cancer survivors are nearly three times more likely to develop aging-related diseases compared to the general population.
Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease among children and adolescents in the United States. Meanwhile, an estimated 500,000 individuals have survived childhood cancer in the US. As the study states, “these survivors carry a substantial burden of morbidity.”
And while one might immediately assume it’s due to radiation exposure during treatment, the study found that’s not the case.
Researchers evaluated 22,585 participants who were diagnosed with cancer before the age of 21 years, survived 5 years post-diagnosis, and were treated between 1970 and 1999.
They established that childhood cancer survivors were 2.7 times more likely than other people to develop one of eight health conditions before 65: breast cancer, colorectal cancer, glial tumors, sarcomas, heart failure, coronary heart disease/myocardial infarction, stroke and valvular disease.
Further, the onset of these conditions occurred, on average, 17.7 years earlier than the general population.
In the general population, 20% of patients developed at least one of these conditions by age 65; but among childhood cancer survivors, that threshold was reached by age 47, revealing a significant acceleration in aging.
Childhood cancer survivors who reached age 40 also had a 6.2-fold higher risk of developing a new condition within 10 years.
By 65, over half of survivors (55%) were expected to develop at least one of the eight conditions.
The risk of developing these conditions was higher among survivors treated with radiation therapy. Still, even among survivors who were not exposed to radiation, the risk remained significantly higher when compared to the general population.
Based on age-related risks, nearly half (45.6%) of cancer survivors were projected to die by age 65, compared to just 15% of the general population.
Life expectancy for five-year childhood cancer survivors has steadily increased. The average life expectancy for adults in the general population is 80; life expectancy for those treated for childhood cancer in the 70s is 48.5 years; those treated in the 80s have a life expectancy of 53.7 years, while those treated in the 90s rose to 57.1 years.
Researchers are hopeful that these findings will galvanize healthcare providers to implement early cancer and cardiovascular prevention strategies for all survivors decades ahead of the general population.
Dr. Lenat Joffe, a Northwell Health doctor in pediatric endocrinology, said the bright side of this study is that so many more children with cancer are surviving longer than they would have in the past.
“Advances in pediatric cancer treatment over the past several decades have led to over 85% of children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer surviving at least five years,” she told The Post. “However, exposure to life saving treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and others can have substantial long-term health effects.”
According to the Children’s Cancer Cause, in 2024, approximately 9,600 children ages 0-14 and 5,300 adolescents (15-19) were diagnosed with cancer.
Recent research has found that exposure to manmade “forever” chemicals could alter the biological development of children and contribute to the development of childhood cancers.
Studies show the chemicals inhibit the body’s ability to metabolize glucose, bile acid, and branched-chain amino acids, resulting in unhealthy levels of fat accumulation. Previous studies have linked the forever chemicals to liver cancer.
Vaping residue is also thought to cause cancer in youngsters.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common form of leukemia found in children and accounts for about 30% of all pediatric cancers.
The disease affects the immature white blood cells, called lymphocytes, which identify and destroy foreign proteins in the body. However, with ALL, the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes that do not mature correctly and cannot fight infection, according to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
