Dr. Donald Dengel, professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology (LIHP), presented work at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2013 that shows how cancer treatment takes a toll on the hearts of child survivors.
“Research has shown childhood cancer survivors face heart and other health problems decades after treatment,” said Dengel. “But researchers had not—until now—looked at the heart health effects of childhood cancer treatment while survivors are still children.”
Dengel and colleagues measured artery stiffness, thickness and function in 319 U.S. boys and girls (ages 9-18) who had survived leukemia or cancerous tumors. Participants had survived 5 years or longer since their initial cancer diagnosis.

Comparing the survivors to 208 sibling children not diagnosed with cancer, researchers found:

• Premature heart disease, as demonstrated by a decline in arterial function, was more likely among the children who survived cancer.
• Childhood leukemia survivors had a 9 percent decrease in arterial health after completing chemotherapy compared to the non-cancer group.

“Given this increased risk, children who survive cancer should make lifestyle changes to lower their cardiovascular risk,” Dengel said. “Healthcare providers who are managing chemotherapy-treated childhood cancer survivors need to monitor cardiovascular risk factors immediately following the completion of their patients’ cancer therapy.”
The children in the study were predominately white, so the findings might not apply to other racial and ethnic groups, Dengel said.
“And because of differences in childhood cancer treatment protocols, we are unable to attribute the changes in vascular structure and function to a specific chemotherapy agent,” he said.
Co-authors are Aaron S. Kelly, Ph.D.; Lei Zhang, Sc.M.; James S. Hodges, Ph.D.; K. Scott Baker, M.D., M.S.; and Julia Steinberger, M.D., M.S.
Read more on the American Heart Association’s website.
Also read coverage of Dengel’s research in the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, and Huffington Post.