Improving paediatric cardiologists’ awareness about the needs of childhood cancer survivors: results of a single-centre directed educational initiative

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (06) ◽  
pp. 808-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Rose-Felker ◽  
Karen Effinger ◽  
Michael S Kelleman ◽  
Ritu Sachdeva ◽  
Lillian R. Meacham ◽  
...  

AbstractBackground:Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood cancer survivors. Cardiologists must be aware of risk factors and long-term follow-up guidelines, which have historically been the purview of oncologists. Little is known about paediatric cardiologists’ knowledge regarding the cardiotoxicity of cancer treatment and how to improve this knowledge.Methods:A total of 58 paediatric cardiologists anonymously completed a 21-question, web-based survey focused on four cardio-oncology themes: cancer treatment-related risk factors (n = 6), patient-related risk factors (n = 6), recommended surveillance (n = 3), and cardiac-specific considerations (n = 6). Following the baseline survey, a multi-disciplinary team of paediatric cardiologists and cancer survivor providers developed an in-person and web-based educational intervention. A post-intervention survey was conducted 5 months later.Results:The response rate was 41/58 (70.7%) pre-intervention and 30/58 (51.7%) post-intervention. On the baseline survey, the percentage of correct answers was 68.8 ± 10.3%, which improved to 79.2 ± 16.2% after the intervention (p = 0.009). The theme with the most profound knowledge deficit was surveillance; however, it also had the greatest improvement after the intervention (49.6 ± 26.7 versus 66.7 ± 27.7% correct, p = 0.025). Individual questions with the largest per cent improvement pertained to risk of cardiac dysfunction with time since treatment (52.4 versus 93.1%, p = 0.002) and the role of dexrazoxane (48.8 versus 82.8%, p = 0.020).Conclusion:Specific knowledge deficits about the care of paediatric cancer survivors were identified amongst cardiologists using a web-based survey. Knowledge of surveillance was initially lowest but improved the most after an educational intervention. This highlights the need for cardio-oncology-based educational initiatives among paediatric cardiologists.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 10014-10014
Author(s):  
Melissa A. Richard ◽  
Sogol Mostoufi-Moab ◽  
Nisha Rathore ◽  
Austin L. Brown ◽  
Stephen J. Chanock ◽  
...  

10014 Background: Childhood cancer survivors face increased risk for DM, a polygenic trait also attributable to cancer treatment exposures, particularly abdominal radiation. We aimed to characterize the role of genetic and treatment risk factors for DM among two large cohorts of childhood cancer survivors. Methods: We performed a nested case-control genome-wide association study for DM managed with oral medications in the original CCSS cohort (diagnosed 1970-1986). Logistic regression was conducted in the total sample (N = 5083) and stratified by 1) European ancestry (EA) and 2) abdominal radiation. Replication of suggestive variants (P < 1×10-7) using Fisher’s exact test was performed in independent cohorts: i) CCSS expansion diagnosed 1987-1999 (N = 2588) and ii) SJLIFE diagnosed 1962-2012 (N = 2182). To evaluate the effect of cancer treatment on the background genetic predisposition to DM, we estimated standardized effect sizes (Z’) among EA survivors in each abdominal radiation group for 398 index variants from the largest population-based EA DM study. Radiation group Z’ estimates were compared using linear regression. Results: In the original CCSS cohort we identified nine variants associated with DM and provide further support for four linked variants in the ERCC6L2 locus. Among all survivors, the rs55849673-A allele was associated with increased odds for DM among survivors in the original CCSS cohort (minor allele frequency [MAF]-cases = 0.055; MAF-controls = 0.024; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.9, 95% CI: 2.0-4.2, P = 3.7×10-8). Allele frequencies were consistent in the CCSS expansion (MAF-cases = 0.075; MAF-controls = 0.028; P = 0.07) and SJLIFE (MAF-cases = 0.036; MAF-controls = 0.027; P = 0.5). Additionally, rs55849673-A estimates were consistent among EA survivors and stronger among survivors not treated with abdominal radiation (MAF-cases = 0.052; MAF-controls = 0.021; aOR = 3.6, P = 1.6×10-6). Notably, in the CCSS expansion all rs55849673-A EA carriers who developed DM did not receive abdominal radiation (MAF-cases = 0.1; MAF-controls = 0.026; P = 0.04). More broadly, the Z’ of population-based DM index variants were 78% lower in survivors treated with abdominal radiation than survivors not treated with abdominal radiation (beta = 0.22; P = 0.01), indicating the background genetic risk for DM may be altered by treatment. Conclusions: We provide evidence for a novel locus of DM in childhood cancer survivors. This locus is a regulatory region associated with expression of ERCC6L2, a gene implicated in an East Asian population-based DM study. Taken together, our findings support the overwhelming effect of abdominal radiation on DM risk in childhood cancer survivors, relative to other risk factors, and provide insight on a genetic locus that may be useful for DM risk prediction in the context of cancer treatment.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahel Kasteler ◽  
Christa Lichtensteiger ◽  
Christina Schindera ◽  
Marc Ansari ◽  
Claudia E. Kuehni ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Chest wall abnormalities are a poorly studied complication after treatment for childhood cancer. Chest wall abnormalities are not well-described in the literature, and little is known on the impact on daily life of survivors. Methods We investigated prevalence and risk factors of chest wall abnormalities in childhood cancer survivors in a nationwide, population-based cohort study (Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study) with a questionnaire survey. We then interviewed a nested sample of survivors to validate types of chest wall abnormalities and understand their impact on the daily life of survivors. Results Forty-eight of 2382 (95%CI 2–3%) survivors reported a chest wall abnormality. Risk factors were older age at cancer diagnosis (16–20 years; OR 2.5, 95%CI 1.0–6.1), lymphoma (OR 3.8, 95%CI 1.2–11.4), and central nervous system tumors (OR 9.5, 95%CI 3.0–30.1) as underlying disease, and treatment with thoracic radiotherapy (OR 2.0, 95%CI 1.0–4.2), surgery to the chest (OR 4.5, 95%CI 1.8–11.5), or chemotherapy (OR 2.9, 95%CI 1.0–8.1). The nature of the chest wall abnormalities varied and included thoracic wall deformities (30%), deformations of the spine (5%) or both (55%), and scars (10%). Chest wall abnormalities affected daily life in two thirds (13/20) of those who reported these problems and necessitated medical attention for 15 (75%) survivors. Conclusion It is important that, during follow-up care, physicians pay attention to chest wall abnormalities, which are rare late effects of cancer treatment, but can considerably affect the well-being of cancer survivors.


Author(s):  
F. Daniel Armstrong ◽  
Maria L. Goldman

Childhood cancer is a rare disease, accounting for only 1% of all malignancies in humans of all ages. In 2007, approximately 10,400 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in children 14 years of age and younger (American Cancer Society 2007). Significant advances in diagnostic techniques and tailored treatments during the past three decades have increased the 5-year survival rate for all cancers to over 80% (Twombly 2007). For acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, the current survival rate is approaching 90% (Pui and Howard 2008). Better survival has led to increased awareness and focus on the consequences of cancer treatment, called late effects. The Children’s Oncology Group has developed and published guidelines for monitoring childhood cancer survivors for late effects in nearly every organ system (Landier et al. 2004), with a recent growing interest in those affecting cognitive, academic, social, and behavioral function (Nathan et al. 2007), which are the focus of this chapter. It was long assumed that a cancer diagnosis and the severe toxicity associated with treatment was such a traumatic event that significant adverse psychological consequences were inevitable. Recent, large reports from the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Study and reviews of smaller studies suggest that this is not the case for the majority of children and adolescents treated for and surviving cancer (Eiser, Hill, and Vance 2000; Zebrack et al. 2002; Zeltzer et al. 2009). With the exception of children who experience central nervous system (CNS) cancer or cancer treatment (Zebrack et al. 2004), most childhood cancer survivors are not significantly different from the general population on measures of depression (Phipps and Srivastava 1999), selfesteem (Noll et al. 1999), hopefulness (Ritchie 2001), or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some children experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress during acute treatment, but these symptoms diminish over time (Phipps et al. 2006). For children with CNS cancer or who receive treatment that affects the CNS, the picture is somewhat different, with poorer emotional and social functioning, neurocognitive function, and overall health-related quality of life (HRQL) reported in this subpopulation (Calaminus et al. 2000; Vannatta et al. 2007).


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 10061-10061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brice Fresneau ◽  
Felicia Santos ◽  
Rodrigue Allodji ◽  
Chiraz Fayech ◽  
Stephanie Bolle ◽  
...  

10061 Background: Platinum chemotherapy (CT) and cranial radiotherapy (RT) are risk factors of ototoxicity. Effects of RT dose at inner ear and of other CT were investigated. Methods: Of 7670 5-year childhood cancer survivors from the FCCSS treated before 20 years of age in 1942-2000 for solid cancer or lymphoma, 5243 with ototoxicity long-term follow-up data were included. Severe ototoxicity, defined as the need of hearing aids or Brock grade 3-4 hearing loss, was identified from self-administrated questionnaires, clinical visits and cohort linkage with the French Hospital Database and health insurance information system (SNIIRAM). The mean RT dose at inner ear was estimated using home-made software. Multivariable Cox models adjusted for gender, age at diagnosis, time period and social deprivation index was used to identify risk factors for severe ototoxicity. Results: After a mean follow-up of 30 years, 199 cases of severe ototoxicity were identified. Cumulative incidences at 30 and 50 years of age (30,50y-CumInc) were, 2.8% (95%CI = 2.4-3.3) and 5.5% (4.6-6.5), respectively. Mean RT dose at inner ear (Hazard Ratio HR = 1.6 (95%CI = 1.0-2.5), 4.5 (2.7-7.2), 5.7 (3.0-10.8) and 14.0 (9.2-21.2) for 0- < 5, 5- < 30, 30- < 40 and ≥40 Gy), as well as cisplatin (HR = 2.8, 95%CI = 1.9-4.0), melphalan (HR = 3.3, 95%CI = 1.9-5.7) and busulfan exposure (HR = 2.6, 95%CI = 1.6-4.4) were significantly associated with severe ototoxicity. Concerning melphalan (n = 199/5243 exposed), almost all cases were identified in neuroblostma patients (NBL), who also received cisplatin 200mg/m²/cycle (26/92 NBL, 30y-CumInc = 36.4% (95%CI = 25.9-48.4), vs. 3/107 non-NBL, 30y-CumInc = 1.6% (0.4-5.6)). Concerning busulfan (n = 131/5243 exposed), all cases were identified in NBL (n = 16/63, all treated with melphalan and cisplatin) and brain tumors (n = 13/28, all with RT at inner ear ≥5Gy). The 30y-CumInc in patients with RT at inner ear ≥5Gy was 7.4% (95%CI = 5.7-9.6) and 39.8% (22.5-60.0) respectively with and without busulfan. Conclusions: RT at inner ear has significant deleterious impact on audition, with cumulative incidence still worsening > 30years after RT, and with likely potentiation by busulfan. The deleterious effect of melphalan was related to previous treatment with cisplatin, either by interaction between these drugs, or by the high cisplatin dose by cycle used in NBL.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Blaauwbroek ◽  
H. A. Barf ◽  
K. H. Groenier ◽  
L. C. Kremer ◽  
K. van der Meer ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan E. Slater ◽  
Julie A. Ross ◽  
Aaron S. Kelly ◽  
Donald R. Dengel ◽  
James S. Hodges ◽  
...  

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